


You From the Wall

by FC2000



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Discrimination, F/M, Female Hange Zoë, Forbidden Romance, Hange and Levi commit a biological oopsie, Hange is an Eldian, Levi is a Marleyan, Marley AU, Or Is he?, internment zone, makes sense for those reading the manga, or just wait till season 4, sorry for the shitty title, you know the one ;)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2020-05-09
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:00:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 29,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21638488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FC2000/pseuds/FC2000
Summary: It wasn't completely forbidden, but it was taboo.  For nothing good, both morally and socially, could come from it.  They were raised in different worlds opposite of a wall, believing nothing good of their other.Time and circumstance however would change the view of their world and each other.  Their country would surely punish them for it.A Marleyan and an Eldian simply were not meant to fall in love.(aka What if Levi and Hange were born and raised in Marley but came from different groups of people?)
Relationships: Hange Zoë/Levi
Comments: 60
Kudos: 258





	1. Opposites

**Author's Note:**

> Welp, this was supposed to be a one shot in a one shot series that got away from me and now here I go...balancing TWO fics simultaneously. What have I done?! Oh well, I guess the goal will be to alternate back and forth between this and Ploughfields.
> 
> This is a Marley AU. It won't be completely accurate to the Marley in the anime and manga but it is heavily inspired by it. I don't plan on many other characters from AOT to appear in this. We'll see.
> 
> This will also be the darker fic of the two.

He was getting dizzy. Any minute now, Levi knew he would lose consciousness.

Those damn assholes. Of course what did he expect making a deal with a bunch of punks who were not his people? It now led to his clothes torn, his wallet gone, and him lying in an alleyway in the internment zone, possibly bleeding to death. 

And no one would know that he was there. His best bet was to be found by Public Security. They would see to the bastards who did this to him without doubt...except they could take one look at him and mistake him for one of 'them' and then just leave him there to die. The latter was the more likely scenario from all the stories he's heard about the PSA.

For a while, the alley was silent. Cars and horses were not common in the internment zone except for major situations and events. It was already a late hour where curfew was intact in certain areas. But he could hear them...approaching footsteps.

And what little light Levi could see was now being blocked by a tall figure looking down on him.

...

He had closed his eyes only to open them again to daylight. His back was no longer sore from lying in concrete. Instead he was lying on a springy bed. He looked over to his right where a small window revealed the morning. A small glass vase with a single rose was lying on the desk against the window which (for a brief while) amused him. Levi never thought the hospitals were this warm or cozy.

The rest of the room seemed dark and small...nor did it seem clean.

It was at this point that Levi started to realize that this might not be a hospital. He looked down and saw that this wounds had fresh bandages. His damaged clothes were lying in a nearby chair and he could see they were...mended.

Where the hell was he?

The only door in the room opened and Levi could recognize the tall figure from the night before.

“Finally woke up, huh? You started to worry me there.”

She was a well-built woman, dressed in oversized clothes that were far from feminine. Unremarkable looking, and yet there was a sweetness and sincerity in her concern for Levi behind those glasses of hers. He was willing to admit, her long brown hair was admirable. 

But when the woman brushed some of it away from her left arm, it revealed the band...the cursed arm band.

Levi acted quickly as she tried to reach a hand out to him. “Don't touch me, Eldian Devil!” He batted the hand away.

Instead of taking offense, the woman chuckled. “Hhmph, I've heard that one before.” She knew this man was going to be one of those more difficult Marleyans.

Everything about Levi was now in instinct mode. He was in a bedroom of the enemy. His body scrambled to the back of the bed, fearing that there was no escape. All he could do was give a slight hiss. 

“What...do you want from me?”

The woman was confused. “Want? You were bleeding out there in the streets. You really think I'm that inhuman just to leave you out there and not treat your injuries?”

Levi looked at his bandaged wounds again. She did this? But why? He asked her hoarsely, “why didn't you just take me to the hospital?”

“Eldians have curfew around here, in case you've forgotten,” she said. “But then you're a Marleyan. You can be wherever you want, can you? I knew I was taking a risk. I did wait to see if anyone else was gonna come help you. Besides, do you really want to explain to the PSA what you were doing here?”

The woman was right, although Levi still didn't trust her. 

“Are you hungry?” she asked him.

He turned his head from her. “No.” There was a pinch of pain coming from the treated wound from his head. “How long do you plan on keeping me here?”

She laughed. “Oh come on, you're not a prisoner! You can get up and leave whenever you want. But clearly, you're not in any condition to do that right now, are you? Hey, I think I got something that might help.” 

The woman left him alone and Levi was too weak to think of a means of escape. Every second he was in the internment zone would not look good for him. People talked. If they knew he was in the home of a Subject of Ymir…

After a few more minutes, the woman had returned with a tray of bread and a cup of tea with an appealing aroma. Levi thought this woman was most clever. How did she know that he was a tea lover? 

He took a sip of the chamomile tea she provided, and upon the first sip, his world turned completely surreal. “Wha...where did you learn to make tea like this?”

“It's nothing fancy. I just picked it up from a book. I got a book for just about everything.”

She was smiling at him and this time, Levi felt strangely warm about it. His body was actually starting to calm from the pain and fear of his situation. Still, in the back of his mind, was that voice reminding him who this woman was...who her people were...and all the crimes they've committed against humanity.

…

The woman left Levi to rest in bed for most of the day. As the hours passed, Levi didn't seem to mind his predicament anymore. It was especially weird when she came back into the room to tend to him. Each time she did, she refilled his tea knowing that he was loving it.

The dinner she provided was a bit bland but that was to be expected from an Eldian in his mind. High quality food was not something very accessible in the internment zone.

“Think you're safe to go now?” she asked him. “I'd hate for you to have another situation like last night again.”

“Don't worry, I won't,” he assured her.

“And what exactly was a Marleyan doing in an Eldian internment zone late at night may I ask?”

Levi scoffed. “Like I'd tell you.”

“Fine with me.”

She helped Levi back into his street clothes and out of the bedroom down a worn set of stairs. The woman lived in a very small dilapidated rowhouse with some of the windows having been boarded up. Levi wondered if this was a circumstance of being in the internment zone. He could have sworn Eldians had it a little better than this. It was true that there were some luxuries and privileges that he could afford as a Marleyan that Eldians would never have. 

He unintentionally caught a whiff of her and it wasn't pleasant. “Do you Eldians ever bathe?” he asked sarcastically.

“Of course we do,” she humored him. “The plumbing just isn't good around here.” In truth, she was starting to get a bit unnerved at his anti-Eldian insults. It would be the only upside to having him leave now, and yet this man was the only company she has had in her home in a very long time.

Levi, too, realized that the woman lived alone in a cramped house that wasn't really built for guests. The rooms and halls were littered with all kinds of books and papers making Levi wished he had the strength and time to stop what he was doing and clean it all up.

But for now, he had to focus on getting home. He had to make it to the gate before curfew came again. 

All of his money had been stolen, but at least he had the wise mind to hide his permit papers and ID card in his shoes. Without those, he really would have been a prisoner of the internment zone.

Stepping out of the rowhouse was the first time in nearly a day that Levi was able to stand up on his own. He looked back at the woman who was leaning by the door.

“Don't worry about it,” she told him. “I hear Marleyans aren't great with 'thank yous'”.

 _'But I'm…'_ , he thought. He wanted to ask her again why she would do this for him. How could an Eldian be this willfully kind to a Marleyan without wanting something in return? When she asked him earlier if he thought her inhuman, he only believed it because that was what school...what society...what history...taught him to believe. Levi had never had this close of an encounter with an Eldian in his entire life. He always did his best to avoid ever having such an interaction.

She saw him take a turn as if to finally walk away and was about to close the door to her home.

“Wait!”

To the woman's shock, Levi's hand was holding onto the same door. “I...” He was having a difficult time with words. “I never got your name.”

She was flabbergasted. “It's...Hange. Hange Zoe.”

Levi had never heard such a unique name before. Yet it was already engraved in his mind before she even spoke it. “I'm Levi.”

“Well Levi,” she smiled at him. “I doubt you'll ever come around here again. So just be careful out there from now on, okay?”

He wanted to say something...anything back to her. But the words never came and she closed the door on him, believing it to be the end. It was that damn smile. It distracted him in the moment when something had to be said the most.

And now he was alone again.

The walk to the internment gate was the longest of his life. He would remember Hange's advice and kept his guard up through the quiet dark streets. He made it just as curfew was about to begin. The PSA guards looked at his permit and Levi could tell that they had many questions for him about why he was hanging around the area so late. He put on a confident face to avoid such questions and then they stepped aside.

Three strides forward and Levi was finally safe. He was finally 'home' in a sense.

But then he stopped.

He felt a calling...a calling to that springy bed in that dark room, and a desire to consume endless cups of chamomile tea...made with perfection...from that woman's hands.

He had only been gone for a day, he told himself. It felt like he was gone for more like a lifetime, though.

Hange had told him he was unlikely to return. That much was almost true. Marleyans had no place in the internment zone unless they needed something. 

But perhaps he did. Perhaps Levi just needed closure.

He never really got to thank that woman. And the feeling that he owed her something was going to consume him from here on out unless he did something.

That had to be it.

That would be the reasoning, in his mind, why he was determined to call upon her again.


	2. Forgiveness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the reviews everyone. I am so excited with where I want to take this story. You'll notice I added ???? in the tags. I got a few ideas for who and what will be involved in this fic but I don't like spoiling stuff in the tags. So be prepared for anything to happen.

Compared to the eerie silence that the internment curfew brought, the rest of Liberio was bustling with night life. It was a relief to Levi because he needed something, anything, to distract his thoughts from where he just was. 

But seeing all the patrons loitering outside the bars in pointless celebrations that wouldn't end till near sunrise was not the appealing solution for a guy like him. 

Instead he would try to get back to his own bed, where then he would have to ask himself if everything he had just experienced in the past 24 hrs was a bad (and somewhat strange) dream.

He was getting rather clumsy with trying to open the door to his apartment, and normally when he came home late like this, he was usually more stealth about it.

“Well, well. Look who's returned from the dead.”

Levi froze. How did he not notice the lights in his living room were on? He recognized the source of the voice...the older woman who was sitting at the table waiting rather patiently for him. “And I was just about to leave to file a missing person's report.”

“As if you were that concerned.” He wished he could ignore the presence of this woman but there was little he could do. Kiyomi Azumabito was a powerful woman, wealthier than nearly all of Marley as her dress and matter showed. Being in this part of Liberio would have been above her if Levi were not residing here. And it didn't surprise him one bit that she got into his apartment without a key.

“Just got back from Hizuru?” he asked her.

“I did,” she told him. “I must say first-class accommodations on the Marleyan liners are getting more and more abysmal these days. It's no wonder this country will be broke in a few years.” She got up and took notice of how Levi's clothes were roughed up and his face bandaged and bruised. Her eyes then lingered to the sewn tears on his shirt. The woman never missed a detail, and she could see that the repairs were not done by a mere tailor. “I see now where you've been. Did another 'business deal' of yours backfire?”

“I don't know what you're talking about,” said Levi trying to avoid looking at her. 

Kiyomi smirked. “Come now, Levi. You can't afford a decent place like this on a mere street cleaner's salary. Though I do admire your ability to keep to it.” She brushed her finger along a piece of furniture. There was only a small bit of dust due to Levi's absence from the place, but on the whole, the condition was most impressive.

Levi didn't know why he even put up with this woman. He's certain they're not related by blood. (She claims their family association was through some distant married cousin with no real evidence for it.) Yet whenever she was in Liberio, she would make at least one visit to Levi like this to strangely dote on him like a mother. It made him wish he never revealed to her that his own mother died when he was a child, because now he was getting annoyed with this.

“Do you have a real reason for being here?”

“Only to warn you that Marley is due for a new recession soon...a very nasty one from what my sources tell me. Hizuru plans to take full advantage of it should war break out, and I have all reason to believe it will. I'd hate to see family here be left behind like that.”

“I can handle myself,” he said. Levi knew Kiyomi valued money above all else. He had a hard time believing that she would have genuine concern for anyone other than herself.

“So you say.” She looked out the living room window. “Well it's quite past my bedtime. Why don't I leave you with a souvenir from my travels?” 

“I don't want your money,” Levi growled. He would never be comfortable taking money from this woman (no matter how badly he might need it). The smallest of bills felt like the equivalent of taking on a massive bank loan with a bunch of invisible strings attached.

But to his surprise, Kiyomi pulled out a book...not an envelope...from her large bag. It was titled 'The Hidden Wealth of the World'. 

“It features a prime business opportunity for you to consider,” she explained. “Even Marley has lots of hidden resources unknown to its own people that are yet to be exploited. They don't even know a book like this exists unless they traveled to the far end of the world.”

“I'm not a reader.”

“Well maybe you should start.” Kiyomi handed the book over to Levi and made her way to the door. “And if any of it does peak your interest, you can find me at the embassy.”

Levi let out a sigh of relief when Kiyomi was finally out the door and again as he watched her get into one of those fancy Marleyan cabs and be driven away.

“Tch.” He took one look at the book in his hand and then tossed it into the nearest trash bin.

…

Levi had all the freedom in the world yet he knew his life was rather mundane. The only thing that ever gave him relief and distraction was his job. He actually enjoyed street cleaning and felt proud that he could walk through his own neighborhood knowing that it was clean to his standards...thanks in part to the fact that he was also a supervisor.

However, the next couple of days of work proved to be quite difficult for him. He was slowly falling behind on his duties. He blamed that day. The day that he was 'trapped' in the internment zone was still fresh in his mind, as well that that woman...Hange.

Perhaps if Levi started referring to her as 'Shitty Glasses', he wouldn't be thinking about her so much.

He wasn't sure anymore why he even needed to go back there. He supposed being in Eldian territory for that long could really mess a Marleyan's mind up.

A pudgy little man broke him out of his trance. They locked eyes in an alley that Levi was working in and immediately the man panicked and took off.

Levi had all the reason in the world to chase after him and finally corner him two blocks away. “Peter!!”

The man nervously greeted him. “Oh...Mr. Ackerman, nice to see you again. So...uh...how did it go with those clients in the internment zone?”

“Clients?!” Levi grabbed Peter by the collar. “They were a bunch of thugs who robbed me and beat my ass! I almost died thanks to you!”

The pudgy man was still panicking. “I...I thought they were cool. I didn't think they'd be so rough. Maybe you...rubbed them the wrong way?”

Levi was more angry and grabbed Peter's arm, ready to twist it. Peter started screaming. “Ah! Okay!I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'll find you better business. Gimme another chance!”

“Forget it.” Levi let the man fall to the ground. “I'm taking a break from that shit for now.” He was going to walk away. Useless Peter. The man was more a worm than a weasel. But he was unfortunately useful in having full knowledge of everything inside of Liberio and even out of it...including the internment zone. 

And that's when Levi stopped. “Actually there is something you can do for me. You know everyone in Liberio, don't you?”

“Um...yes?”

“What do you know about Hange Zoe?”

“Hange Zoe?” Peter squinted trying to gather what little brain cells he had together. “Oh yes...funny looking lady with the glasses. Rather sweet lady. Hold on...you do know she's an Eldian, right?”

Levi turned to him. “I'm the one asking the questions here!”

Peter screamed. “Sorry! Sorry! I think she...volunteers at the internment library. That's right. Keeps to herself mostly. That's all I know, I swear!”

“Good,” said Levi. “Now get the hell outta my face.” He watched as Peter ran faster than he had ever seen him run.

…

Levi showed his permit at the gate in his best Marleyan wear. He put on the same act as he did before pretending to have business somewhere in the internment zone. He felt good about being able to sell that lie to the Public Security guards.

But as Levi was walking deeper into Eldian territory in broad daylight, he was getting a bit anxious. Eldians had a different dress and fashion from the rest of Marley, more pauper and ragged. His slick blue suit with tie and hat made him stand out like a sore thumb. The Eldians who were out on the street would stare at him in shock as he passed by. Others cowardly kept their distance from him and avoided making eye contact altogether.

This was starting to become a mistake. Getting directions to this library proved to be difficult as so many Eldians wanted to avoid speaking with him.

It was only dumb luck that brought him to a run down building with 'library' painted on the window.

He quietly, yet nervously walked inside. Thank goodness, there weren't many people, but those that were there were shocked by the presence of this Marleyan. Even the librarian at the front desk was too frightened to greet him.

Levi decided to disappear into the rows of bookshelves ahead. Deeper in, he could hear a familiar voice.

In between two rows, his eyes caught a corner of the library where a group of about five children where sitting. He stopped when he saw the adult sitting amongst them and reading to them was no other than Hange. She looked a bit cleaner than when he last saw her. Her hair was up in a messy ponytail and she still wore ragged clothes with an oversized jacket.

He stayed hidden from view.

“And so Helos slayed the Devil of all Earth. Saving the world from the evils of...” Hange took a deep breath and decided to skip over the next word. “Anyway, Helos freed everyone from oppression and restored peace and humanity to the Marleyan people, making Marley the leading nation of goodness for all the world. The End.”

Hange did not enjoy the story she was reading to the children. And to be honest Levi couldn't blame her. It was that same stupid story about the origins of Marley and Eldia that he had to hear since childhood and had always been skeptical about. 

The children were just as unenthusiastic, with only a couple of them slowly clapping. As they got up to leave, Levi was getting nervous. Hange closed the book and her attention was turned to the last child who was still sitting there...a little girl who wrapped her arms around her legs and was sobbing.

Hange was confused. “What's wrong?” She approached the little girl. “Was that story too scary?”

“No...” the girl squeaked.

“Then what's the matter? You can tell me.”

The girl wiped her eyes. “Teacher said that all Eldians are born evil. Is that true? Cause I didn't mean to be...”

“Hey.” Hange got down to the girl's level and embraced her. “Listen. Because I'm going to tell you something that I'm not supposed to tell anyone, okay? It'll be our little secret. Think you can keep it?”

This got the child's attention and she reluctantly nodded. 

“The thing is...nobody is born good or evil. Not even Marleyans.”

“They're...they're not?”

“No.” Hange was looking around making sure no one else could hear them. Thankfully, she failed to see Levi. “Because that's not something any person can be born with. Good and evil are choices. They're the things we chose to do when we're alive and why we do them. It's only evil if you can't see that difference for yourself. And it doesn't matter who your family or people are or what they've done. What matters is what you do now as a person. Remember that, okay?”

Levi had been listening, still hiding behind the bookshelf. The words she spoke were puncturing him like a millions daggers. Not that he didn't believe her, but he never thought that anyone in this world was fearless and bold enough to speak a truth like that.

He tried to get a better look at the scene, seeing that the little girl was now cheering up a bit. But it only led to Hange looking up and seeing him.

He knew she would be surprised to see him. He didn't think she would be terrified.

The little girl, once she saw Levi, also became frightened and ran off.

Hange tried to slip away, disappearing into the endless rows of bookshelves. Levi tried to follow her. He didn't want to yell to bring attention to them. Instead he gave a loud whisper. “Hey, wait!”

She stopped once she realized they were now standing on opposite sides of the same shelf. Their views of each other obstructed by the books that lined it. Hange turned her back to him.

“What are you doing here?” she whispered. The fear was still in her voice.

Levi now seemed apologetic. “I...I just came to talk.”

“Couldn't you have been less conspicuous? It's the middle of the day.”

He looked down at the damn suit he was wearing. “Sorry, I didn't think about that.”

“We can't be seen like this.” Hange sighed. “But if you're that serious about it...there's a burned building down the street. I'll be on the top floor in 30 minutes.”

Levi took the hint. He quietly and casually made his way out of the library and located the building. He looked to see that no one was around and made his way inside. The bottom floor was scorched but the stairway was still intact. He climbed up to the top floor that had many broken windows and a partially collapsed ceiling. Birds were using the place as an indoor shelter, so feathers and nests were everywhere.

As disgusting as this place was, he would remain here and wait.

Hange finally arrived, still in disbelief at his presence. “How did you find me?”

“I asked around,” he told her.

“When I saw you at the library. I thought you were a watcher.”

“A what?”

“You know...someone who makes sure the kids are learning what they should be learning.”

“I see.” Levi felt even more of an idiot for showing up in the library in his state.

Hange looked down at the floor. “I never thought you would come back here.”

“Neither did I,” said Levi. “Thing is...I wanted to apologize.” Hange was caught with surprise by this. “You saved my life that night and I was nothing but a complete asshole to you about it. I wouldn't feel right not doing something after that. So here...”

Levi pulled from inside his jacket a book that he handed over to Hange. “I remember you saying you had a book for everything. But I doubt you would have a book that came all the way from Hizuru. I didn’t buy it. It's just something I had that I was gonna throw away.”

Hange felt the cover and she gasped. “What kind of material is this book made from? I've never seen text printed like this!” She opened the book and started flipping the pages. “The texture of the pages feel so smooth! This is amazing!”

Her excitement was starting to weird Levi out. 

“Do you think?” Her eyes lit up. “Do you think they made this book from one of those komputas?”

“What the hell is a komputa?”

She looked around then went up closer to Levi show she could whisper to him. “It's something I hear they have in Hizuru. It's a machine that can do anything you want it to do. And it's not even mechanical. It can even do complex math. Not even Marleyans are that advanced!”

Levi was in denial. “Tch, sounds ridiculous.”

“It is not ridiculous!” she said confidently. “Komputas are real. You go to Hizuru some day and see. And when you do, you should bring me back a photo so I can say 'I told you so' to your face!”

It was so unexpected. Levi couldn't believe that he was chuckling at this. “Like I'd ever give you that satisfaction, Four-Eyes.”

All of the sudden, Hange started laughing with him. “You know, Four-Eyes doesn't sound so bad. At least it's much better than Eldian Devil.”

Levi looked out through one of the broken windows and could see that the sun was setting. “Almost time for curfew, I take it?”

“You should go first. I'll be fine,” Hange assured him.

“Yeah,” Levi muttered. He headed toward the stairway.

“'The Hidden Wealth of the World' huh?” Hange read out the book cover. “Well, I guess this is the closest I'll ever get to actually seeing the world.” 

In that moment, Levi made a mistake that would haunt him relentlessly.

He looked back.

He looked back to see a sad yet smiling Hange whose eyes were watering. “Thank you, Levi. I really mean it. I'll always keep this.”

Levi quickly looked down. “I won't come back anymore, if that's what you want.”

“What?” said Hange. “No, I mean. I wouldn't mind if you did. What you need next time is to just dress up like one of us. No need to hide then. I'd give you some of my clothes but they might be a bit too big for you.”

“Well lucky for me,” said Levi. “I think I know a guy who can help with that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be Hange backstory and it's a doozy.


	3. Birdcage

When he spoke of coming back, Levi was only humoring Hange. He had to be. He had given her the damn book. His unfinished business in the internment zone was done. There would be no need to return and in a way, it was better that way. He was determined to go on with his life. It was already weird enough that he no longer had contempt for an Eldian. It was even weirder that during the brief time they were together, they were actually getting along like good friends. 

They had even laughed together.

What the hell was wrong with him? 

“Hey look down there.”

Levi's attention turned to his two coworkers. The three of them were on a platform washing the second story windows on one of Liberio's more fancy office buildings. 

They all looked down at the sidewalk to see an approaching elderly couple. The couple were well-dressed but their arm bands exposed them for the Eldians they were and they were walking the city block apprehensively. The Marleyan passerbys were already sneering at them. And despite showing their permits, the PSA guards would even spit in their faces.

Normally Levi would have felt disgust about seeing an Eldian outside the internment zone but shrugged this off thinking they probably had important business here like he had when he was on their side of the wall.

“Are you thinking what I'm thinking?” one of his men asked the other.

“Yeah.” His hand was on the bucket of cleaning solution in between them. The liquid had now darkened to a grayish hue as a result of the dirt it the mops had accumulated. “I bet they haven't bathed in a week. 'Could use a shower.”

Levi could see one of his men lifting the bucket. 

A million thoughts were going through his head at once and Levi couldn't make sense of any of it. The one that stood out the most was horror. He should have thought nothing of it. He never did before. It should have been nothing new to him what his men were intending to do. He let stuff happen like this so many times before. 

Yet when Levi finally came to his senses, he found himself in between his to two coworkers, grabbing the arm of the man who was forced to let go of the bucket.

“WHAT THE HELL, LEVI?!” The man yelled so loud, the two Eldians below them quickly scurried past them underneath the platform. Levi watched until they were finally at a distance, then turned his attention back to his coworker. 

“I should be asking you that.” Levi had to come up with something to save face. “Th-...that cleaning solution isn't cheap. The city isn't paying us to play around with the equipment!”

“Oh come on!” said one of the men. “Aren't you the one who's always going about how filthy Eldians are and how they never clean themselves? We were doing you a favor.”

The last part was clearly a joke. But what pained Levi in that moment was that the rest he was being told was true. But then...Levi looked down on most people, not just Eldians. All his talk about dirty Eldians was just passing conversation. And bashing them was most of the conversation in the town anyway.

“Well then as your supervisor…,” he told his men. “...you will do me the favor of getting your asses back to work!”

With each passing day, Levi's thoughts were being haunted by a sense that something was wrong about his whole world.

It reached a breaking point when Levi had been invited to watch a local play with some coworkers. 

The play was the same like many other stage productions and picture shows put on by Marley. The Marleyans were the heroes of course...the Eldians the villains. The way they were portraying the Eldian characters though (as offensive stereotypes and soulless monsters) was suddenly making Levi sick to his stomach. And all he could think about was how Hange cared for him and given him tea...and then her sadness about never being able to see the outside world.

It reminded him that Eldians would never be allowed to leave the internment zone...except to die.

The audience was cheering when one of the Eldian characters was taken out and that was it for Levi. He got up and stormed out of the theater and wandering the streets of Liberio aimlessly. 

How was it that everything was the same yet so wrong at the same time to Levi? A man in his state could really use a drink right about now.

But instead of a bar, he found himself in front of a different shop. Being nighttime however, it was already closed. But it wasn't so much the shop that caught his attention, but rather what was being advertised in the window.

…

Hange's stomach was growling. 

She looked at her ration coupons that she received for her volunteer work at the library. She determined that they would last her less than a week. Was that enough time for her to find a new job by then? Because one thing was for sure: After reading those children the story of Helos for the millionth time, seeing the pain in that little girl's eyes for a sin she never committed, Hange could no longer keep up supporting Marley's propaganda just so she could survive day to day.

She took the coupons to the internment zone's sole marketplace and unsurprisingly was not able to get much for them…some dried fish and some leftover bread. One of the vendors that she got along well with was kind enough to give her some fruit that was about to go bad. 

Hange had to remind herself that these circumstances were hers alone to deal with. Not everyone in the internment zone had to struggle for food like this, particularly those in the Warrior Program. There was a time when she envied those Warriors...a time that she wanted to forget.

“Zoe?”

Hange perked up, looking around the stall for the man calling her. For a brief instance, her face was aglow. Had the little Marleyan man really returned?

But then it quickly dawned on her. Only one person had ever called on by her surname in such an affectionate manner.

She looked over and saw him on the other side of the stall, a taller scruffy looking man. She was surprised to see him but it was more of an apathetic type of surprise.

“Oh hey.” Hange wasn't making much eye contact with him like she used to. “Are you back for good?”

“Just a small break again,” the man told her. 

She wasn't sure how to feel about that. Being lost in her thoughts, Hange failed to see him bringing his hand to her cheek. “Come over tonight,” he said. “I've missed you.”

…

Levi didn't think that Peter would come through with the necessities. However, he was always going back and forth between the internment zone and Liberio with an amazing skill of being able to blend into any surrounding to do whatever needed to be done.

After getting a nagging by Peter about the importance of the arm band, Levi took off with the clothes and went back to the same shop he came across the other night. 

He came out with a long box and made his way to the internment zone gate.

Once he was back in, his first stop was to find a hidden alley and quickly changed into the Eldian clothes he had hidden in a carpet bag. They were smelly and a depressing puke brown color but at least he wouldn’t be standing out. Putting on the arm band and the button top cap, Levi stepped back out into the streets carrying the long box he had brought with him.

Everything was going good. He stopped by the library only to find that they were now closed for the day, then decided to find his way to Hange's house. He only had a vague memory of where the place was but that was good enough for him.

He began to notice familiar looking buildings and knew that he was close.

“Hey you!” 

Levi turned around surprised to see two large PSA guards looking down on him. He looked over his shoulder to make sure the arm band was still there. It was. So what could he be doing wrong?

Then one of the guards looked suspiciously at the long box Levi was carrying. “Watchya got there?”

Levi's reply was instant, without thinking. “None of your business.”

And it was in that moment, as he could see the fist approaching him, when Levi Ackerman knew that he deserved the award for 'Moron of the Year'. He had forgotten where he was...forgotten who he was dressed as.

The normal Levi, the Levi of Liberio, would have fought back instantly. But this time he had no choice but to take the punch and all the pain that came with it.

“Watchya gonna do now?” said one of the guards. “Turn into a titan and eat us?”

By some miracle, Levi was still standing on his own two feet only drawing a small bit of blood, but the relief was short-lived. The other guard kicked him in the gut. And that was enough to bring Levi to the ground...still not as bad as his first night in the internment zone, but still horrid nonetheless.

He then watched the same guard look over at the long box that was now on the ground and slightly open the lid.

“Anything good?” the other guard asked.

“Nah. Just a bunch of garbage,” was the reply as the guard closed the lid then stomped on the box twisting his foot about.

Levi was not a man in control of his anger most of the time. But this current situation gave him no choice. His face turned red at the sight of the now damaged box and the laughter of the guards as he clenched his fists to fight all desire to get up. His life, at that moment, depended on him lying there helpless.

“Come on. We got better places to be than dealing with this Eldian trash.”

He remained on the ground and listened until he was certain the guards were gone. Then he pushed himself up and picked up the box. 

He would be limping his way to Hange's home, all the while thinking that what he just went through was likely the norm for anyone living in this internment zone. It made him wonder if Hange ever had to deal with something like that. Did he really want to know?

Levi had made it to her front door and after five minutes of knocking, his heart sank.

She wasn't home.

He was too tired to think about where she might be. It wasn't his business to wonder about what she did outside of home and volunteer work.

Levi could see his shadow appearing on the door, which reminded him of the curfew.

He decided to write a note on the box and leave it on the doorstep as he hurried, with his injuries, back to the alley. Thankfully the carpetbag was still in the undisturbed hiding place. He quickly changed back into his Marleyan clothes, keeping an eye out for anymore PSA guards.

Levi made it through the gate just in time, but instead of relief, he was feeling a deep sense of defeat.

…

She had few escapes in this world and one was located on the far end of the internment zone...to his home, whenever he was there.

Hange didn't know why she continued to see him. Their 'relationship', if one could call it that, was not built on any organic kind of love, but rather a means of release...something to feel in a place where Eldians were shamed from expressing powerful emotions.

It was more of an exchange. She gave him her flesh. He gave her promises that her life would get better...that she wouldn't be trapped in this place for much longer. 

He was rough...a side effect of his special abilities, he claimed. He once told her that she was the only woman ever strong enough to endure him. And given all she already had endured, he would be right.

Physically exhausted, Hange didn't need to look over at him to know that he was already sitting up as if nothing had just happened. She envied his ability to bounce back from this so quickly.

“Do you really have to do this?” she asked him.

She could feel him kissing her bare back. “Oh Zoe...you always ask me that question expecting the answer the change.”

Hange was lying on her stomach wanting to bury her face in the pillow. “You can't possibly think this is right.”

He was softly laughing. “You know I've always admired the fact that you don't think like the rest of the Eldians here. It's a shame what your parents did to you. I bet you would have made a damn sexy titan.”

Hange wanted to protest. “I...I don't blame them for what they did.”

“They robbed you of your glory,” he told her. “You had so much potential in the Warrior Program.”

But Hange couldn't see her time in the Warrior Program as glory. It had been a nightmare she hoped to forget. The miracle was that she was able to escape it. But it all came at a cost...a cost that would leave her all alone in this world for many years. 

The man lying with her now was the only thing close to companionship that she's had in recent years. He was also the only one who knew her time in the Warrior Program was a secret and promised to keep it.

“The mission is going to start soon,” he said to her. “And I intend to succeed. Once I have the...”

Hange finally sat up to face him, pulling the sheet closer to her to cover herself. “People are going to die. Our people...”

“Nothing more than fools.”

“They're Eldians, Zeke! We're Eldians!”

Zeke put his glasses back on and sighed. “You think I'm doing this for Marley...or for the Eldians?” He grasped Hange by the chin. “I'm doing this for us. Remember that I'm the only one who can free you from this bird cage.”

He spoke that to her as a reminder. It was not the first time he tried to convince her of this. But more and more it was coming off more as an empty promise than a real possibility. In the beginning, she had hoped that being with Zeke would have led to something with more affection involved. Instead, it was feeling more like he was trying to control her...much like the superiors did in the Warrior Program.

He had spoken to her of the island of Paradis, an island believed to have Eldians who were far more evil than they. But Hange could not bring herself to believe it. There had to be children in this Paradis. Were they evil too? Would their deaths really justify anything?

“I don't want it.” She backed away from him shaking her head. “I don't want this freedom if it means innocent people die.”

She refused to listen to Zeke speak anymore of how evil these Eldians were on that island that needed to die. Instead, she scrambled to find and put her clothes back on.

“Where are you going?” he asked her.

“I'm going home.”

“It's past curfew.”

“Wouldn't be the first time I've broken it.” Her thoughts went back to the night she had found Levi in that alleyway and that somehow comfort her.

To her surprise, Zeke did nothing to stop her as she made her way outside. She had a good sense of stealth to avoid being seen by anyone in the dead of night, avoiding streetlights and remaining in the shadows until she was safely back on her doorstep.

Before opening it, Hange leaned her head against the door, emotionally exhausted.

That's when she noticed the crumpled box on the ground.

She picked it up and went inside, turning on the lamp so she could get a better view of what was in it. There was a note on the lid.

_Sorry they're crushed. Long story. ~Levi_

She was shocked. From Levi? He came back? He really came back to the internment zone?

But nothing could prepare her for what she would find when she removed the lid. 

They were damaged like Levi said they would be. But she was still in awe of the colors, the shapes...each of them was different in their own way.

They were wrapped in a tag that read 'Flowers Imported From Around the World' and each one of those flowers had their own tag to identify themselves: a Hibiscus, a Chrysanthemum, an Orchid, a Bird of Paradise, and even a lily that came all the way from Hiziru. 

Flowers like these were impossible to find even within Marley. 

Hange took them upstairs to her room, inhaling their individual scents, and placed them in the same glass vase where the lone rose was already wilting.

The emotions she felt when they had met in that building and Levi had given her that book had re-emerged.

If this place was meant to be a bird cage...one which she would never see the world, perhaps she could be content with Levi bringing the world to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After a dark depressing chapter, lemme assure you that Hange and Levi will meet up again in the next.


	4. Meeting (Again and Again)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I did depressing angst again, my bad.

Levi felt depressed since his last trip to the internment zone. He feared that what had happened to him might have been a sign.

Even Peter could see it when he ran into him again.

“Um...another mishap, Mr. Ackerman? I swear I didn't talk to anyone...”

“No, my fault this time,” said Levi (although he was ashamed to admit it).

Peter sighed in relief. “Oh...I suppose you went looking for that Miss Hange Zoe, didn't you? The one you asked about before?”

What business was that of his? Levi thought. He was ready to walk away from this conversation.

“...'cause I saw her near the Back End when I was last over there. Didn't know she did that kind of work.”

Levi stopped. “What are you talking about? What's the Back End?”

Peter was confused. He looked around and then whispered to him. “Oh, I thought you knew about the place. The Back End of the internment zone. I mean, isn't that why you needed the Eldian clothes? Lots of my other clients go there. No one would blame you no matter how illegal it is. Much cheaper than the brothels on our side of the wall.”

 _'A brothel?!'_ Levi couldn't believe what he was hearing. It couldn't be. He knew so little about her yet he felt that he truly knew her. Hange...the woman who helped him despite who he was...a worldly woman in spite of the walls that would always keep her in.

His mind was in a whirl. He didn't even realized that his hand was grabbing Peter's collar again, very tightly. His eyes were getting dark with rage. “You're telling me that she's a...”

Peter was whimpering. “What?! No! I mean...I only saw what I thought I saw! And the Back End's very well hidden. That could have been anyone's place she left from, from what...I...could…recall.”

Either Levi did not seem to notice or care that Peter was slowly losing breath from his tight grip until the last minute when he finally let go. 

“Get me new Eldian clothes,” he whispered to Peter almost like a threat.

The pudgy man was certain to obey as a crossed Levi was one of the few things he legitimately feared.

…

He needed the slight change to his outfit, not wanting to be immediately recognized by the PSA guards who pummeled him last time. 

When Levi got to Hange's doorstep, the rain started to pour without warning. Was this another sign?

He was being foolish. He didn't need to know anymore about Hange...nor did he need to even be here.  
With one foot, Levi began to turn back, not hearing the door opening because of the rain.

“Levi?”

It was the best feeling in the world for him to look back. There was Hange. She didn't look any different from the last time he saw her but her face lit up at the sight of him.

They both forgot about the rain as Hange ran up to Levi and hugged him.

It felt really weird for Levi to be hugged by someone like this, especially a woman who was taller than him. But it still felt nice all the same.

And he embraced her back. 

_'Good god'_ , he thought. He was hugging an Eldian out in the open. The world would think him mad right now.

The rain got worse and they hurried back inside of Hange's home. “I thought you were only joking about coming back,” she said. She noticed Levi's soaked Eldian hat and picked it up. “I love the outfit. You'll definitely fit at home here.”

Levi smirked. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

“Har, har,” Hange replied sarcastically. “So I'll guess you'll want to clean up. You can try your luck with the bathroom upstairs but I warn you, there's no hot water and the tub isn't running properly.”

“I'll take my chances,” Levi said.

Hange followed him upstairs and search her endless array of clutter to find Levi some dry clothes. Most of everything she had lying around was clearly going to be too big for him. The best she could find was a pair of boxers and a dress shirt. She laid them outside the bathroom door and could hear Levi messing around with the plumbing inside.

By the time Levi was done, Hange had already had some tea prepared for him, remembering how much he had enjoyed what she made last time. 

“I fixed it,” said Levi.

Hange was confused. “Fixed what?”

“Your plumbing. So now you can take a bath now can you? How long do you think it's been since you last washed?”

She was too embarrassed to answer.

“You smell like a wet dog,” Levi said as he sipped his tea.

“I guess so,” she said nervously. “Fine, I'll go then.”

Levi was left in a messy kitchen. Clutter was everywhere, yet the pantries themselves were surprisingly empty. He needed to consider asking Hange if she would let him clean up around here sometime. His eyes then darted to an old photograph pinned on the wall. It was a picture of Hange as a little girl and two adults that he assumed were her parents. It occurred to him that there were no other photographs around outside of this one.

He then heard a yelp from upstairs. He wasn't sure if it was a distressing one, but not taking any chances he went upstairs and knocked on the bathroom door. “Oi, you okay in there, Hange?”

“I'm fine,” Hange said shaking. “The water is so cold.”

“Yeah, I wasn't able to fix that,” said Levi.

“I'm finding it hard to do anything. Can you come in here and help me?”

Was she serious? What did she mean she was finding it hard to do anything? Levi was reluctant to step into the bathroom and once he did, he could briefly see Hange (without any clothes on) looking out of place in a worn out tub that was rather too small for her. He did his best to look away from her.

“I don't think this is a good idea,” he said. 

“No reason to be nervous,” Hange assured him. “Is it because I'm Eldian?”

“Not that.” Levi's face was turning a darker shade of red every second, it seemed. 

“Oh come on. I can't be the first naked woman you've ever seen.”

Levi found it strange how very nonchalant she was about all of this. He sighed and grabbed the scrubber he had been using on himself earlier.

He'd start with the back to get himself more comfortable and prepared. But even that failed to stop his heart from going a mile a minute. He was almost struggling to breathe as well but he couldn't let Hange know it. Levi never imagined he would be this nervous in the presence of a woman before.

It disturbed him even more that scrubbing the dead skin from her back revealed a multitude of scars up and down. Most of them were faded but a fresh pair seem to exist near the shoulders as if she had been pierced. Should he ask her about them?

“Hange?” Levi closed his eyes hoping, not to regret this. “How do you get by here?”

“What do you mean?” she asked him.

“I mean, do you have a job?”

She smirked. “I wish. Guess I've always been too lucky for my own good. It's not easy though. I can go days without a decent meal.”

He should feel relieved that Hange wasn't working in the Back End after all. But her words depressed him all the same. “That's no way to live.”

“Well what else can I do?” she said. “I can't sit there anymore and tell the children how awful they are just for being born. And I've been trying to keep a low profile ever since...”

Levi stopped scrubbing her back. “...ever since what?”

She was quiet for far too long. “Since...my parents died, I guess.” She bit her bottom lip in an attempt to hold back the pain...not just the pain that she felt when Levi was scrubbing at her scars.

And Levi sensed that she was being bothered by this. 

“What if I helped you?” he suggested.

Hange looked back at him, genuinely curious. “Help how, exactly?”

Levi shrugged. “You know, just basically keep you from starving to death.”

“You'd do that for me?” She asked him. “Then does that mean...you'd want to see me again?”

“Yeah,” Levi muttered with a gentle smile on his face. “I would.”

…

They decided on when and where they would meet again. It was for the best that they changed it up each time, agreeing not go to the same place twice in a row to prevent suspicion.

A few days seemed like an eternity to both of them when they finally met up again at the marketplace in the internment zone. Levi felt more comfortable knowing that it was a busy day and that he and Hange could easily disappear into the crowds if they had to.

Hange was rather excited since Levi said he would buy some groceries for her.

“Oh my god, truffles!” She rushed over to a stand that had multiple decorated truffles on display, giving off a delicious aroma. “They all look so fancy, don't they?”

Levi looked into his wallet. Normally he would have more money, due to all the shady dealings he did outside of his regular job. But having to take a break from that, he was a bit tight on cash. And truffles were on the pricier side of things in Marley.

“Maybe we should focus on stuff you actually need,” he said. He didn't like disappointing Hange, but he didn't have much of a choice at the moment.

“Oh you're no fun,” she teased. “Well, you can't stop me from looking around.” Her eyes were now leading her to a display of Turkish Delights.

Levi tried to keep a serious face. “I'll do the shopping for you then.” 

He filled the basket he had by purchasing some dry meats, from fresh veggies, and of course more tea. He also decided to buy Hange some soap, hoping it would encourage her to do some more bathing.

By the time, the basket was full, Levi looked around for Hange. The damn Four-Eyes got away from him. He headed back towards where the sweets stands were.

She wasn't too far, but to Levi's surprise, she also wasn't alone. She seemed to be talking to another man that was there, a larger scruffy bearded blonde man with glasses. It took a moment but Levi could now recall where he had seen him from. It was in those newsreels that would play at the picture shows. There had been multiple segments on the so-called Eldian Warriors, and this guy was apparently the top one of them all.

The guy could turn into a giant monkey apparently.

He could see from afar that Hange seemed to be looking away from him and she didn't seem too happy. The man was looking down on her almost threateningly. 

That was enough for Levi to move closer.

“Of course I've been taking it,” Hange said, almost snapping at the man. “I'm not that foolish.”

“Everything alright?” Levi asked as he approached the two.

“It's not any of your concern,” the man told him coldly.

Hange was quick to act. “No, it's okay, Zeke,” she told him. “Um...this is my friend Le-.”

“Just Lee.” Levi reached a hand out.

Zeke looked at him suspiciously but still shook his hand anyway. “I thought I knew everyone in the internment zone.”

“I don't get out much,” Levi mumbled.

Hange was feeling a bit more confident now, patting a hand on Levi's shoulder. “Come on...Lee. We should go. See you later, Zeke.”

She then walked away hoping Levi would follow. 

Before he could though, Zeke casually walked past him. He then looked back and said in a low voice (making sure Levi could hear): “I smell Marley all over you.”

Clearly Zeke was an Eldian who thought his Warrior status could be used as a means of power and intimidation. For that reason, Levi was concerned but he was far from afraid.

…

Hange led Levi to the roof of a building normally closed on Sundays, shaded by a water tower that loomed over them. It was rather dangerous since the PSA could have easily spotted them and have them criminalized for trespassing. 

But it gave them plenty of privacy as the two shared a gelato that Levi bought for Hange. “Not a whole lot to see from up here,” he said, taking note that the building was no more taller than the other buildings nearby and didn't provide much of a view.

“Well what do you expect when you're walled in?” said Hange. “Besides, it's not out you want to look at. It's up!”

Hange pointed upward at an approaching shadow and soon they heard a humming that was getting closer and closer. Soon, a massive flying airship was slowly flying right over their trajectory. They lied back on the roof so they could take in all the detail. Levi had seen many airships in the skies, but never so close like this.

“Isn't it amazing? I mean, they're not as practical as planes. If one of them were to get punctured, we'd be ashes right about now from all the burning hydrogen.”

“You pick that up in one of your books?” he asked her.

Hange sat up. “I think my dad told me that once. He was always the pessimist. But he ended up being right about a lot of things like that.”

Levi looked at Hange with a lingering curiosity that had been consuming him for quite some time. “That Zeke guy...he's one the Warriors, isn't he?”

“Yeah,” Hange muttered. 

“Does that mean you were you one too?” he asked.

She couldn't look at him. “I almost was.”

“What happened?”

Hange pulled up her sleeve revealing some of the old fading scars. “I guess I asked too many questions.”

All Hange could think about was how funny it was that there was a time long ago...where she had been just like every other Eldian child in the internment zone, wanting to serve in the Warrior Program. Her parents had been against it from day one and she thought them fools. Didn't they want to be free from the internment zone? Didn't they want the torment of all Eldians to end?

They argued that it do nothing improve their situation reminding her that the world wanted them dead no matter what they did. Hange began to resent them for not having more optimism.

Eventually though, fate did bring her into the program.

She knew it would be tough. She wasn't strong physically, diminishing her chances of ever becoming a real Warrior. But her intelligence was praised by her superiors and had her under consideration for the Titan Research Society. It would be her calling, she thought, to one day learn the truth of the titans...and possibly find a cure that would not only end all titans but to ensure that no Eldian would ever turn into a titan again. Then they would all be free...with no violence, no bloodshed.

That intelligence would soon turn against her. Her constant desire to question everything they were doing often resulted in a beating. She never understood why they needed to hurt these other Eldians that escaped to this island or whatever, when they could just talk to them...or why being born Eldian was a sin in itself when she had yet to commit any crime.

When beatings and depriving her of meals failed to put her in her place, it was straight to the classic shunning method. Any child who spoke to her, let alone came near her, would face the same punishments as Hange if not worse. The superior officers always justified their treatment of her. She needed to be made an example of for the other children.

The parents were only allowed to see the children a few times a year. The next time Hange saw hers, it was to plea, with tears in her eyes, for them to take her home, knowing that the next time she upset her superiors could possibly result in her death. 

They could only weep with her. There was no leaving the Warrior Program once a child was placed in it.

She found herself spending less time in warrior training and more time in a cell, completely alone.

Normally, it never opened unless it was to bring what little food she was allowed. The only other time, a guard had come in...putting his hands on her in a place that hurt. She remembered him telling her that this was something the superiors called “the last resort” for Eldians that weren't behaving. Hange remembered because she couldn't believe that anyone would allow this to happen to her.

So when the door open again, she was in instinctive defense mode...only to be surprised that her parents had finally come for her. They happily went home together but Hange found herself more restricted at home, her parents often having her hide when people came to the house.

She never knew why that was until she meet Zeke years later. He told her that her parents had bribed some officials, with every dime they had, to get Hange out of the Warrior Program and erase her name from the records. They had gone to great lengths to save their daughter.

But it all came with a price. She never knew what really became of them. All Hange knew was that one night, her parents told her to hide and the next second the PSA came into the house. They escorted her parents out and she never saw them again. 

And she had heard far too many tales of Eldians never returning from being taken away.

“Hange?”

Levi held her hand and it made Hange realized that she was crying. Had she laid her soul out to him? Did she say too much?

“God, I'm such an idiot,” she told him. “They tried to warn me about the Warrior Program and I wouldn't listen. If I had, they'd still be alive, Levi. I killed them!”

She was curled up in a little ball, not aware that Levi was pulling her closer to him. “Hange, not your fault. It's not.”

“Why would you...” she tried to ask. Not that it mattered that he was doing this for her. She was incredibly grateful for it. “Don't you think I'm evil, Levi?”

Levi looked her in the eyes. “No,” he said, a blunt truth. He never believed in that being born good vs evil garbage himself, or the idea of being born with a soul.

Still, he liked to believe that here was the only person he knew to have one.


	5. Smitten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi and Hange are confronted with truths.

The internment zone had suddenly become deathly silent in the day hour. People started rushing into their homes as a small group of PSA guards came by. They were escorting a couple of Marleyan businessmen plus an extravagant-looking Hizurian woman to a block of nearly unoccupied buildings.

“What do you think Miss Azumabito?” one of the businessmen asked her. “We expect this whole section of the internment zone should be razed within a few years time. Prime real estate if I say so myself and likely to be dirt cheap.”

“You seem very confident,” the woman told him. “What do you expect to become of the Eldians here, might I ask?”

“If we're lucky, most of them won't be around. Been hearing rumors though that they're getting dumped in some old prisons on the other side of the country. Those that can't be used for war, well...they're just gonna be wasted space if you know what I mean.”

“I see.” Kiyomi was not one to publicly admit that she had some sympathy for the Eldian people, but there was also pity...pity that they were naive enough to believe that their freedom could ever be assured through their loyalty to Marley.

Besides, Marley was already on a losing side of a worldwide battle. All she had to do was wait it out and this land would likely be hers for free.

Her eyes came upon a reflection in the window of a building. A young Eldian couple could be seen walking on the other side of the street. They seem to be smiling and laughing together.

“Disgusting isn't it?” said one of the guards. “Just the thought of them breeding...”

Kiyomi turned her head back for a closer look. There was a woman and a man dressed in similar Eldian rags. The woman was taller and wore glasses. The man, on the other hand, looked awfully familiar.

She turned her head back and could see in the reflection the couple stopping.

“Shit.”

Levi and Hange froze at the sight of the PSA guards, but that wasn't what concerned Levi. It was the woman that was with them. What the hell was she doing here?

He quickly grabbed Hange by the hand and started running until they were blocks away and out of sight of them.

“Levi? What's wrong?”

Levi pulled Hange into an alley, unintentionally pushing themselves against the wall of a building...too close to one another with only a few inches of space between their faces. They were panting from their sudden run.

“Sorry.” He slowly backed away. “I thought I saw someone.”

“Someone you know?”

“Yeah,” he said.

They both tried looking back into the street, but it was too risky. “We're just gonna haveta wait,” said Hange. “Looks like they might be around for a while. It wouldn't be so bad if it was just the PSA guards.”

This made Levi think back on his bad encounter with them. “You're not afraid of them?”

“I just know how to work around them. The best thing obviously is to avoid them if all possible. It's also why I don't wear feminine clothes when I go out,” she said nervously. “Of course, when I'm with Zeke, I never have to worry about any of that stuff since they respect him enough not to do anything.”

It was killing Levi wanting to know the context of her saying 'with Zeke'. Hange seemed to be talking about him positively. Yet when he first saw them together in the marketplace, he quickly sensed that something wasn't right. They had to have been familiar with each other given their history in the Warrior Program. How familiar was the real question that currently he did not have the courage to ask. 

“Probably has a mansion in Liberio, I bet,” Levi said.

“He does get to go wherever he wants, and also has an apartment over there and even here, near the back.”

Near the back? Then Levi remembered. Peter said he had seen Hange coming out of some place near the Back End. So did that mean… 

...did that mean that she really was seeing him?

…

When it was finally safe for Levi to return home, he wasn't shock to find a note had been left under his door, signed by Kiyomi Azumabito. She insisted that he would want to hear what she had to say.

So the following day, Levi was back in his slick blue suit, entering one of Liberio's four-star dining clubs at the peak of lunch hour. Surprisingly, the host was leading him past all the tables to a private room in the back where Kiyomi was sitting and waiting.

“Let us enjoy lunch first,” she insisted. “My treat.”

After a tense thirty minutes with their food had passed, Kiyomi said “this is a very special private room. Absolutely soundproof and the waiters won't bother us further unless we press the call button. The perfect setting for conversation.”

Levi was already prepared for the worst. 

“I think I have a better understanding of your 'side business' as they say. Does it have anything to do with the internment zone...in the infamous Back End perhaps?”

“No,” Levi said sharply.

“Oh, but there is a woman involved. I am certain of it. Tell me, is she one of many or are you seeing her in particular?”

“You're full of shit.”

Kiyomi smiled in a way more mischievous than genuine. “I don't think so. And we both know it.”

And this was where Levi had to admit defeat. He knew Kiyomi was far more clever than she appeared, and he no longer had doubt that she had spotted him with Hange in the internment zone the day before.

“One of your lackeys supplied you with those Eldian clothes, didn't he? How wise of you.”

Levi coldly asked her “what business is it of yours what I do over there?”

“It's very concerning given the risks. Although you wouldn't be the first man to fraternize with the likes of an Eldian in such a matter nor would you be the last. They say it's only illegal if you get caught, I suppose.” Kiyomi took a sip of her sake. “And heaven forbid if she were to ever be...well, you're a smart man. I'm sure you'd prevent such a thing from ever happening.”

“It's not what you think it is,” said Levi.

“Clearly you've had multiple meetings with her. I could see that from just seeing the two of you together. Have you been making excuses for yourself just to go and see her?”

He didn't respond.

“So you have, and I suppose you're now on a good first name basis. You've never been known for that we both know.”

 _Fuck._ Kiyomi really was on the ball. 

Levi sighed. “I can...I'll put a stop to it.”

“Why do that to yourself, Levi? I see it even now as we speak. You're completely smitten...or as they say, in love with that woman.”

To have to hear that word… Love. The thought had never occurred to him. Perhaps he had been blind to have not realize it all this time. Everything he was doing...all the risks he was taking...for Hange...just to be with her. He even bathed her.

And just yesterday, in that alley, he felt a compulsion that he shouldn't have. And now he knew what it was…

He almost felt the urge to kiss her.

Damn. How could he not see it all until now?

And then a sad realization hit him. Even if this was love...they were still stuck on opposing sides of a wall. All this sneaking around, he knew, could not go on forever. And Hange...she was trapped there in the internment zone, her fate already sealed. There was nothing Levi could ever do about that.

He never felt so helpless.

“What must I do?” He asked the woman across from him.

“You go confess your feelings to her, of course,” said Kiyomi.

“Is that a joke?”

“No joke. Just the obvious next step. You start with a confession and see where it goes from there...even if it leads to the point of no turning back.”

Levi still felt uncertain. “And what exactly is that?”

“If it happens, you'll know.”

“I don't understand how you can be so okay with this.”

“Well that's part of another issue I wish to speak to you about,” Kiyomi explained. “You're concerned that you and this woman can never be together because she is Eldian. But what if I were to tell you, that you might also have Eldian blood in you?”

“I'd say you've had too much to drink,” Levi said in classic sarcastic fashion.

“I did some extensive research into the Ackerman family history. I can't vouch for its authenticity. Even many of the Eldians in Marley believe it to be a myth. But the Ackermans are said to have been bred within Eldia itself, created to be protectors of the royal family, gifted with special talents and of course, titan abilities. When the Eldian Empire fell, the Ackermans rebelled against their king. Much like the Eldians in Marley, they had to pay the price for it. However, it is believed that a very small band of them were successful in using their skills to escape not only their kingdom, but the island of Paradis, taking down many titans along the way. I have reason to believe that you, Levi, might possibly be a descendant of those lucky few that escaped.”

The whole thing sounded absurd to Levi but then, what did he know about Eldian mythology? “Let's say this horseshit is remotely true...” he said. “Wouldn't the blood tests they make everyone take have found Ymir blood in me?”

“The gift of being an Ackerman you might say,” said Kiyomi. “It will have hidden any trace of your true lineage.” She looked at her watch. “Our time seems to be running out. I hope you heed my advice on that girl, Levi, for your benefit.”

She pressed the button on the table and Levi was getting ready to leave. But then a thought occurred to him. He couldn't believe what he was about to say but it was troubling him since his meeting with Hange yesterday. “It's just there's...she might already have someone else.”

Kiyomi laughed. “Worried about some Eldian competition? My, you must really have it bad for her.”

…

The next time Levi would be meeting with Hange, it would be back at her place. Levi had promised to bring some fancy pasta and meats to cook for her, food that was far above what she could ever afford. He didn't think he would be successful in sneaking it past the gate, given the smells. But thankfully there were no dogs accompanying the PSA guards, and their cigarette smoke covered any suspicious odors.

Not only would Levi cook, but he would also clean Hange's house after much convincing. He claimed that a clean environment allowed him to concentrate on his cooking better.

And Hange didn't mind it. Her books were back on shelves again and her papers neatly stacked up. She even went upstairs to clean herself up again while Levi made the dinner.

The attic to Hange's home had a sunroof that she opened up revealing the night sky. Levi would likely miss curfew again, but he knew it would be worth it. They would have a lovely dinner sitting on the attic floor and looking up at the stars that were glimmering on such a dark and clear night.

“I hope this isn't too bitter,” said Levi as he poured the wine he snuck in into two glasses.

“Anything's fine with me. You don't know how hard it is to find a good drink around here.” Hange took the glass and downed it in one gulp. Her face turned red instantly. “Oh...that was strong!”

Levi was trying not to laugh. “It's Hizurian sweet wine.”

After a minute, Hange's face returned to normal. “I love it!”

The next hour they spent enjoying their food and Hange using the stars to display her expertise on astronomy.

“So is that Uranus?” Levi asked pointing at one spot in the sky.

Hange couldn't help but snort and then break into hysterics. 

Levi shook his head realizing his 'error'. “I didn't think you were this immature.”

“Sorry, I couldn't help myself,” she said. “Actually that planet is too far away to be seen without a telescope, and even then, you wouldn't be able to see much. Could you imagine though that maybe we'll invent a ship that could go out into space and see those things for us someday?”

“Sounds like a fantasy.”

“Well, I thought titans were a fantasy too, until I was in the Warrior Program.”

Levi looked over at the wall. “Aren't those the flowers I gave you?”

A bunch of dead flowers, all cut up into parts were scattered about on a sheet of paper with notes scribbled on them. “Yes,” said Hange. “They were very beautiful. I decided to study their physical and chemical properties. Would be interesting to see if their environments played a role.”

He should have expected as much and it made him admire Hange even more...that she would take the things he gave her just so she could study them in her own way...to give herself a peak at the world she wouldn't be able to see.

“Hey Levi...” Hange seemed lost in thought from what Levi could see. “Do you think you'd ever...go out there and you know, travel? See the world?”

“Feels like too much hassle,” he said. “A lot of countries have travel restrictions cause of all the political turmoil right now. I've never really been much for leaving town anyway.”

“Oh.”

Levi could see that Hange was disappointed. So he decided to add on to it. “But if it were a lot more simple, I wouldn't mind it.”

“Well if you ever, do you think maybe you could...bring me back something from wherever you go? It doesn't have to be a flower, but something natural to that place. Although, you wouldn't be able to mail it back to me since we have restrictions on our mail. So I guess it would be too much trouble.”

“It wouldn't be trouble at all,” Levi said. And he meant that. 

To his relief, Hange smiled. “That's great. Then it would feel like I was there with you, wouldn't it?”

Something in Levi stirred. Perhaps it was another constant reminder of how apart they would always be no matter how much…

“Hange, do you see what is happening here...between us?”

She looked at him confused. “We're just having dinner in the attic.”

“I'm not talking about now specifically. I'm talking about what we've been doing up to now...since the day we first met. Do you not feel it?”

“I don't understand, Levi. Are you okay?”

“No, I'm not,” he said honestly. “I've been lying to myself for a while now, since I first left this internment zone. I'm amazed you don't see my coming over here as a bother.”

“You can never a be a bother to me,” said Hange. “I mean, when you came by the library, I was shocked and scared because I didn't know what you wanted back then. But I'm so happy you've come back since. Happiness is not an easy thing for me here, obviously.”

Levi turned and looked her straight in the eyes. “Then I need to ask you something and you must answer truthfully. I need to know...” He was still scared to ask. “I need to know what is Zeke to you?”

Another question Hange did not expect. “He's...he's nothing I swear!” She looked away feeling ashamed. “There was a time when I thought we would be something more. He said he'd protect me from Marley and I believed him. But now I just feel so used by him. I...I don't think I can ever be happy with him as...”

She trailed off and Levi took notice. “Please tell me,” Levi begged taking her hands into his. “As what?”

Finally she was willing, shaking as she was, to face him again. “As happy as I am with you.”

He didn't need to hear anymore...and he waited long enough.

And in a way, so did Hange.

He pulled her closer to her until the gap between their lips was no more.

For how long they were like that, God only knows.

Levi was feeling a desire fulfilled at last and Hange felt a surge of happiness she never thought was possible in her world.

She now understood what Levi was trying to reveal to her.

But when they broke away, reality began to set in, no matter how badly they both wanted this.

“Levi...” Hange's face transformed to despair. “We can never be together.”

“Don't you think I know that?” He asked her, frustration consuming his very being. The smallest hope he had for any of this was the Ackerman legend Kiyomi spoke of. But would that be enough? “Even if we can't...isn't it enough that we both want this now? Don't you want to see how long we can make this last?”

They both agreed on that but deep down they were also terrified. One day soon, they might slip up. They might get caught. They've already broken so many of Marley's laws to get this far and now it seemed they just committed the greatest crime that could be committed in their country.

“Yes...I do,” she said softly. It didn't make her feel less scared.

Levi caressed her cheek. “Then let's find out.” He wanted to believe that this be long lasting, as long as they both wanted it...as long as they both had faith.

They kissed again.

 _'So this was it,'_ Levi thought to himself.

This was, as he had been told, the point of no turning back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please be patient from this point forward as updates will likely be much slower. Will be doing my best. Thank you to all my lovely readers.


	6. Happiness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took a bit longer than usual. I was really stuck on this particular leg of the story. I have this really weird thing about wanting to make my chaps even length. And what I originally planned here felt like too much for one chap. Plus I was indecisive about possibly adding new elements/characters to the story. It took actually writing the chap to help me make decisions and well...you'll see where this will be going in time.
> 
> And since I don't have Tumblr, hope you mind me flailing about the unexpected Levihan we got in the most recent issue! :D

Levi had been up before the dawn.

He wanted to take it all in, the sights and smells especially.

Hange was curled up in his arms, like a content animal. He was grateful that he lost the fight last night as to where they were going to sleep. Hange wanted him to have the bed again, and Levi didn't want her sleeping on the floor.

Perhaps in a way, they both got what they wanted by sharing the covers together.

And unlike last time he had spent the night there, Levi didn't want to leave.

Hange eventually did stir from her sleep. She was on all fours on the bed, looking down at the long sleeve undershirt and pajama pants she wore. She then looked up at Levi, who was lying by her side in just a shirt and boxers. “Oh good,” she smiled. “We didn't do anything.”

Levi smirked. She must have been lightheaded still from the Hizurian sweet wine. And even if she wasn't, he would still enjoy waking up and listening to her half-awake nonsense.

“I'm gonna have to leave soon,” he said, hating to be a killjoy.

“Well, you're not going anywhere until you've had some tea.”

Levi quickly leaned in and kissed Hange. “Exactly what I was hoping you would say.”

In the course of a single night, everything changed for Levi. And now it was going to get harder and harder for him to leave the internment zone. He took the tea she made, indulging in every sip. Then he kissed her goodbye...hopefully for not too long.

 _'Is this what happiness feels like?_ He asked himself. He knew there was too much at stake involved and there was very little hope of a progressive outcome. Still, he wanted to enjoy this for as long as he possibly could.

More importantly...he wanted to give Hange what happiness he could provide for her in her situation, even if there wasn't much he could do. 

Levi could be content with just that.

These thoughts weighed on his mind walking to the alley where he would usually change back into his Marleyan clothes.

But he stopped when he saw him.

Levi never felt his blood run cold so quickly.

“Oh, I'm sorry. Were you intending on doing something here? Well...don't let me stop you. There's plenty of space to go around.”

There was no looking away or turning his back from Zeke now.

“I was...” Levi needed an escape and seeing Zeke leaning against a wall, fiddling with the cigarette in his fingers, quickly found one. “I came here for a smoke.”

“Well, a good spot as any. Lee, was it? Might as well join me.”

He knew Zeke was an intelligent, calculating man. And Levi was now trapped in whatever mind game he intended on playing with him. The only problem was that Levi was a rare-occasion smoker and he clearly did not have his own pack or lighter on him. “Hmm...must have left them in my other coat,” he said after patting his own pockets.

Zeke could tell he was lying before he even said it. “I got you covered.” He tossed his cigarette pack and the lighter in Levi's hands. He grabbed what he needed and handed the rest back to Zeke.

They were now leaning against the same wall...a six feet minimal distance from each other, quietly trying to ignore each other's presence with only the nicotine as their only distraction. But it wasn’t meant to last.

“They arrested a couple of Marleyans in this alley last night,” Zeke said. “They were caught by the PSA trying to dress up like Eldians. Wouldn't say for what reason though. My guess is they were trying to hit one of those brothels they got hidden around here. It's a high criminal offense...Eldians and Marleyans 'mixing' together. So I volunteered to stick around in case someone tried to pull that kind of shit again.”

Levi only grunted. Zeke was already at it with the intimidation tactics. Fortunately he knew to keep his cool. Levi wasn't going to let the fact that this man could turn into a titan and tear him in half shake him whatsoever. He quickly eyed the spot in the alley where his bag of clothes was hidden. It remained covered and undisturbed, thank goodness.

“Being the Beast Titan gives me an extra-hyped sense of smell. It's how I sensed you weren't from around here. Of course, that's not much in ways of proof. Could just be my my mind messing with me.”

Levi was now only getting a little nervous (without showing it), not because of what Zeke said but because he was looking off into space, daring not to look at him. 

“Balsam...balsam and vanilla.”

“Excuse me?” Levi asked.

Zeke was showing less emotion. “That's her scent. Not the most pleasant in the world, but it's fine and distinct. And right now, you reek of it.” He took a smoke and exhaled. “Don't think I'm upset. My nose tells me it didn't go anywhere. If it means I get to stay one step ahead of you on that score, then I'm good with it.”

Zeke shifted his eyes a bit and could see that Levi had unintentionally clenched his fists. A half-smile formed on his face knowing that the short man had cracked, if only a little.

“So what's your business with her?”

There was no refusing an answer, as much as Levi wanted to. “She helped me once. I was just returning the favor.”

“Well...I think you've helped enough,” said the warrior. It was just a statement, but Levi could sense the mere trace of a threat within it. The next thing Zeke would say almost came off like bragging. “In a few days, I leave for a mission to save the world.”

Levi scoffed. “You really think going off to kill some of your own people is 'saving the world'?” He asked. Levi knew very little about the real intent of the Warrior Program. He could only theorized it would involved getting a lot of people slaughtered...Eldians in particular.

Zeke eyed him. “Let me tell you a story, little man. Many years ago, there was a resistance movement that was forming in secret within these very walls. And I...just a small boy at the time...brought the entire thing down. Marley thought me a real hero for it...enough to give me a second chance at being a Warrior. And since then, no Eldian has ever dared to rebuild it. Do you know who the leaders of that resistance movement were?”

Silence was the only response.

“They were my parents...my mother and father.” Zeke sighed. “I don't regret what I did. I only regret that I couldn't save them from their own folly...that I couldn't get them to see the error of their ways. I would feel just as bad if I couldn't do the same for her.”

This guy had to be crazy, Levi thought, if he really thinks that he was saving Hange from anything.

“So...I think you see what I'm getting at here,” said Zeke as he started moving closer to Levi. “When all is said and done, I'm the only one who can give her what she truly needs. And right now, the last thing she needs is to be led astray by the likes of you.”

The closer Zeke got, the more prepared Levi was for whatever came next. The warrior placed his hand on the wall just inches to the left of Levi's face and was looking down on him. Levi was unsure what his next move was. He clenched his fists again, with far more awareness this time.

But then Zeke smiled. “No worries. I don't believe in that 'using violence as a warning' cliché. Never needed to use it. 'Cause you see...anyone who's ever dealt with me...they've only ever needed one warning.”

It was then that Zeke, to Levi's surprise, decided to leave the alley, putting out his cigarette with his foot along the way. 

“Glad we were able to come to an understanding,” he said waving back with that smug look on his face.

…

It took a few days for the shaking to cease after that encounter with Zeke. Levi was never a really shaken person, but he never came so close to having everything crash down on him.

Zeke had to be gone (and away from Marley) by now, and that would give Levi some relief. 

Still, the next time he saw Hange, he asked her, “have you been getting any visitors here recently?” It was Levi's way of asking if Zeke had come by to see her prior to him leaving. He didn't want to get too specific about it or let her know about his run-in.

Hange was perplexed by the question. “You're the only person who ever comes by here,” she told him and smiled. “I guess it's hard to have anyone come over in a place like this. But since you've come around and clean this place, maybe that'll change.”

Levi hoped not. He had no complaints anymore about being the only one to ever be inside Hange's mess of a home.

A folded paper had fallen out of Levi's pocket. He had come straight from work and didn't think much of it. To his surprise, Hange picked it up first. “See I'm trying to keep clean now,” she said. Curiosity compelled her to open the paper. “What's this?”

Levi had almost forgotten. “Got that from my boss,” he explained. “It's just some job opportunity he thought I was suited for, being a clean freak and everything. But I doubt I'm gonna take it.”

But Hange read the paper more thoroughly. “Levi, this is a job to clean on a freighter. No way! You'd be visiting almost all of the Mid-East!”

“It's more working than visiting and like I said, I'm not gonna do it.”

“Levi...”

“You think I'm going to leave you now...after we've just gotten together?”

Hange gave a sad smile. “Levi, the last thing I want is to hold you back from anything. I am just an Eldian. Besides, you'd be doing this for me. It would be like seeing the world in a way, just like I...”

Levi understood. But Hange was far more than a mere Eldian to him. He wished she could see that. 

Perhaps maybe...if he thought this through, there could be a way they could keep in touch. Surely Peter knew some people who could sneak letters in and out of the internment zone.

“If this is what you really want...”

There was nothing that Levi wanted more than to make Hange happy. But it would be difficult, no doubt about that. He didn't want to make anything official until he was certain that there was a way they could contact each other when he was gone.

Fortunately for him, Peter did have connections. There was in fact, an underground communications network that still operated in secret even after the resistance movement fell. They were mostly centered around allowing Eldians to exchange mail outside of Liberio without government screenings. This was exactly what Levi was hoping for. 

With this security, Levi would take the freighter job. It paid good money that he had been surely lacking. And whenever he returned, which he hoped would be soon, he would be able to provide for Hange more than he ever had so far.

They had one more evening before Levi would depart. He wasn't going to waste it.

“I'll send you whatever you want,” he told her as they were sitting on the bed together, embracing each other.

“What if I wanted a Mid-Eastern elephant?” Hange jokingly asked.

Levi tried to keep serious. “I think that would be too hard to fit in an envelope. But I will be taking as many pictures as I can. I just wish you were coming with me.”

“But I will be with you...in a way.”

He kissed her then, longer than he ever had. They were both savoring the moment.

“Yeah,” he breathed, referring to a multitude of things.

They had already gone so far. That was what was going through Levi's mind as he was running his hands through her hair...as she started to slowly unbutton her shirt.

There was no one to tell them what was right or wrong. Where they were now, there was no such thing.

His clothes came off as quick as Hange's did.

Every single touch was a sin...a crime. It made it all the more thrilling.

Levi was on top of her, but it was never dominant...not like with Zeke. He treated Hange with more care, more gentleness than she thought was possible.

And for one night, Hange felt a sense of liberation that no Eldian had ever felt.

...

She woke first the following morning, wrapped in only Levi. The bedsheets had barely covered them. She searched for her clothes and glasses in the tangled mess on the floor then went to make Levi his last cup of tea.

He came downstairs dressed soon after.

“This is harder than I thought it would be,” said Levi.

“It won't last,” Hange assured him while pouring his tea. “Once you're over there, you might enjoy it more than you think.”

“I rarely get enjoyment out of anything,” he said honestly.

Hange chuckled. “You're such a pessimist. It's going to be okay, isn't it? Your friend is going to help us with the letters. Even if it's just a letter a month, I'll be happy just to hear about all the things you're doing over there.”

But it was more than just communication issues that worried Levi. It was leaving Hange alone again, knowing that he couldn't help her if she needed it.

He took out his wallet and took out as many Marleyan bills as he had. “I want you to take this,” he told her.

“Levi!” Hange had never seen so much money. “This is crazy. I can't take that!”

“I could be gone for a long time,” he told her. “At least with this, you'll be able to take care of yourself, provided you don't spend it all on sweets.” He had forgotten about that risk.

Hange reluctantly took the cash in her hands. “Well,” she giggled. “I can't promise you that.”

The hour soon came when Levi would have to open the door and step out of Hange's home. He wished that she could be at the dock with him tonight to say their goodbyes.

His anxiety about leaving her was worse than he had expected. His biggest fear was that Zeke might return to Liberio before he did. And if he were to find out what had transpired last night…

“Hange...” Levi looked back at the woman he had fallen for with a gentle look on his face. “Please be careful.”

She thought his statement strange, but smiled and said “I always am.”

There shared one last kiss and Hange watched him leave from the windows. The house fell silent, like it always had been. But she no longer felt alone...knowing that there was someone who would be thinking of her and planning to write to her very soon.

She would be waiting, with great anticipation, for that first letter.


	7. Letters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where I bring in another character into the story that people seem to like.
> 
> Also, I love cliffhangers okay?

The sun was setting when the boat was pulling out of the dock. There were a small number of families and others seeing them off but Levi wanted nothing to do with it. Without Hange there, what was the point?

He'd rather get to his work anyway.

In the course of two days since they had left Liberio, Levi couldn't believe how messy the freighter could get even after his intense cleaning. He would work on mopping one hall only to have to clean the same hall again later in the day.

He was starting to wonder if taking this job was a mistake. It didn't help much that he still worried about leaving Hange behind and all alone.

This would take some time to adjust.

In the open sea, Levi wasn't feeling as much seasickness as he thought he would, but he was prepared for the worst. There would be plenty of vomit to clean up after if the waves continued to get as bad as they were.

In one hallway, he could see a small woman with long messy black hair on all fours on the floor. She didn't seem to be sick, though. At first Levi thought she was looking for something on the ground, but soon realized that she was struggling to get up.

He went over to the woman and saw a familiar looking Eldian band on her arm.

For a brief moment, Levi couldn't help but think about how much Hange had changed him. The old Levi would not have bothered with an Eldian in any state.

But the woman was trying to wave Levi away. “Don't mind me. You'd be wasting your time.”

Levi stepped back. “Can't you get up on your own?”

“Oh, I'd love to,” she said, with a hint of sarcasm. The woman tried to push herself up but it seemed like her muscles her resistant to the idea of straightening. Her legs were still bent over. That had to be painful from Levi's perspective. 

So despite any protest, he grabbed her by the arms and tried to pull her upper body up. Her hands gripped the rail along the wall to support herself but she was still rather bent and hunched over. It was impossible for her to stand up straight.

“I'm used to this,” the woman said. “Thanks anyway.”

“I don't see how,” said Levi.

“Comes with being a Warrior.”

Levi became a little nervous. He mentally cursed Zeke for that. It meant this woman was capable of turning into a titan.

“I thought this was a shipping freighter.”

“It is. The Marleyan government is having me do some 'diplomacy' work around the area. But I'm mostly there for intimidation.” The ship was slowly tilting but the woman was already grabbing at the rail to make her way down the hall away from Levi. “Thanks again...whoever you are.”

“I'm Levi.”

“I'm Pieck.” She looked back at Levi curiously. “You're a very strange Marleyan.”

…

That night the ship made it's first stop, but Levi did not get off. Instead, he looked over the ship's deck to the ocean with a pad of paper in hand attempting to sketch the creatures that he could spot in the water.

_Hange,_

_We made port in the south of Marley and our making our way to some fort in the Mid-East, Fort Salta, I think it's called. It seems we're also escorting an Eldian Warrior there. I guess that's top secret stuff I probably should not go into detail about._

_This is turning out to be harder than I thought, the job I mean. I love cleaning, but this ship is starting to drive me insane._

_There are lots of creatures in the ocean that I never thought I'd see in real life. It hurts cause I know how much you would love seeing them too. I wish it wasn't so hard to get a camera around here. And I'm not good at drawing, so forgive me if my seal looks horrible._

_Please let me know how and what you're doing, even if it's boring. Thinking of you is all that gets me through this._

_Sorry, I'm not really good with this lovey-dovey shit._

_~Levi_

Levi rarely wrote letters. After reading the whole letter through again, he wondered if he should rewrite the whole thing. But he had grown impatient with wanting to hear from Hange. And he knew it would take a while, considering how mail traveled overseas and the whole process of sneaking the same mail in and out of the internment zone.

He just hoped it was going to work out.

...

They had been in the Fort Salta area for nearly three weeks. Levi was tasked with supervising the scrubbing of the freighter inside and out. He was also tasked with picking up any mail for the people on the freighter, a job he took to task multiple times a day. He was starting to become an annoying regular in the eyes of the people working at the post office.

Finally, an old man behind the counter greeted Levi as he entered. “I believe you've been waiting for this one, Mr. Ackerman.”

That was not the greeting Levi had expected. There was a letter right there on the counter with his name on it. He cursed himself for never studying Hange's handwriting. He would have no idea if it was really her until he got to open it.

He waited until nightfall when everyone else in the bunk-room he shared with was asleep, and then quietly opened the letter, reading it with a small lantern at his side.

_Dear Levi,_

_I'm so happy to hear from you! Thank you for the seal. It looks so cute! I miss you so much, it's literally made me sick. Hahaha. It could be from all the truffles I've been eating. Sorry, I know you told me not to spend money on them, but I couldn't help myself. I've been craving them so much. Other than that, nothing much really happens around here. I have been taking more baths since I know you like it better that way._

_When you get to the Mid-East, tell me what the climate is like. Is it humid? Are the plants tropical? If you can't send me a plant, I'll take bugs. I've always wanted to dissect a poisonous beetle._

_Please be careful around any Eldian Warriors. Zeke is very close and familiar with all of them._

_Enjoy yourself for me while you're there. I know I would._

_Love, Hange_

Everything about this letter was pure Hange.

If he could, Levi would have this letter framed. And that she signed it with 'Love' made it all the more valuable to him.

He held onto to that letter for far too long, his sweaty fingers were smudging the ink much to his dismay and the paper was already wrinkling.

He knew another letter from Hange would cheer him up. So he quick to work on his response.

_Hange,_

_Your letter has been the best thing about this experience so far. In truth, I hope we are done with this job soon. We've been sailing around the area but we'll be back in Fort Slava again in couple of weeks, I'll be waiting for your next letter there._

_I am getting out more, but not in the city. I managed to find a herb on the beach that the locals say helps with sickness. Put a piece of it in your tea and you'll feel much better, I promise you._

_I don't think it would be a good idea to send you strange bugs. You'll just have to stick with my drawings instead. I actually saw a dolphin jumping in the water. It nearly soaked me because I was so close to it. I spent two hours in the shower trying to scrub the ocean water off of me. It would have made you laugh._

_The weather is warm but not too bad here. There are some beautiful plants but I'm scared to touch them. Who knows what they have on them? Maybe your books know more than I do._

_I don't know what else to say but that I really miss being with you._

_~Levi_

Levi placed the letter, the herbs, and his dolphin drawing in the envelope with care.

Then he began counting the days as to how long he would hear a response from Hange.

...

Cabin fever was already starting to settle in when the ship returned to Fort Salta. Levi made his usual visits to the post office.

The same old man that had his first letter ready for Levi greeted him again. “Oh, Mr. Ackerman. Didn't your friend pick up the mail for you?”

Levi was horribly confused. “What friend?” Levi hadn't exactly befriended people on the ship since the job began. He had been determined to keep to himself.

“The Eldian Warrior. She was in here this morning.”

Levi froze.

Why would she…?

How did she know?

He ran back to the freighter, asking and inquiring everyone about Pieck. No one seemed to know where she was. Others assumed she was doing her 'work' in the city somewhere.

“I think this is for you.”

Levi turned around in the empty hall he was in. Pieck was standing there with an envelope in her hands.

Levi was getting furious. “That's not yours,” he said coldly.

“Writing to an Eldian, are we?”

“But...how did you know?”

Pieck laughed. “I grew up around people who used to sneak letters in and out out the internment zone. I know all the tactics.” To Levi's horror, she also pulled out the first letter Hange wrote to him. “So you know Zeke, huh? He told me about a woman he was seeing. I wonder if this Hange you've been writing to is the same one? Perhaps I should ask him.”

Levi couldn't think. He went over to Pieck and when it became quite clear that she wasn't going to give the letters up so easily, he wrestled her to the ground. Pieck groaned a bit in pain.

“Idiot,” Pieck said. “Forget that I'm a titan?”

“No,” said Levi. He knew that any second, Pieck could take on her titan form. He pulled out a switch blade he had in his pocket, and placed it close to Pieck's neck. 

Instead of being scared, however, the little woman laughed. “If you really wanted a chance at taking me out, you would have put the blade behind my neck, not infront of it. But go ahead and cut me then. I'll only regenerate.”

He didn't want to resort to harming her. But he had to. Hange was in danger now.

Before Levi could make the cut, there was an approaching noise.

Footsteps...getting closer and closer.

Levi quickly stepped back, putting the blade back in his pocket, before the man approached them.

“What's going on, Ackerman? I heard a commotion.”

Levi looked back at the man. “It's nothing, Sawyer. I was just helping Miss Pieck here. You can go back to cleaning the kitchens.”

“Aw man, I just did 'em.” The man moaned while walking away.

Pieck got up to the best of her ability. “Ackerman, huh? You're not very bright for one. My father believes those silly stories of Ackermans who escaped the Island of Devils to hunt down all the Eldians that didn't go there.”

“That's not what I'm here for,” said Levi, recalling what Kiyomi said about them. 

“Well, no matter. I still have to report this.”

“Wait, please...” Levi hated this. He hated that he now had to resort to begging, knowing it was completely useless. “How can you devote yourself to a government that has shown nothing but cruelty to your people?”

Pieck was surprised by Levi's desperation. A strange Marleyan indeed. “That's my personal choice,” she said with a bit of sadness. “I don't enjoy it in the slightest. In the end, it's all going to be for nothing. I'm not blind to it. But I'm willing to take what I can from Marley for now.”

So this was it. This is where it all had to end.

Levi looked down. “Kill me then.”

“Huh?” said Pieck.

“Do it,” said Levi. “Destroy those letters and I'll let you kill me. This whole relationship was my...my doing from the start anyway. I just don't want Hange to be punished for this. Please...”

He knew it would satisfy Zeke if he were to die here and now, which made his plea all the more humiliating. But in the end, it wouldn't matter as long as he could protect Hange.

Pieck was becoming both baffled and annoyed by this idiot Marleyan man. She angrily crumpled the papers and threw them at Levi's face.

“Fine! If I hadn't caught you, someone else will soon enough. Just know it's not going to end happy for either of you.”

She pulled herself down the hall along the rail leaving Levi to pick up the letters.

He was now horrified with no knowledge of what would happen now. Was she really going to leave this alone or was she going to tell someone?

He waited in his bunk for a long time, not knowing what his fate would be.

Nervously, night came. His bunkmates went to bed and he read Hange's newest letter.

_Dear Levi,_

_Thank you for the herbs. I'm not sure if it's doing the trick. Maybe it's just because I'm starting to feel lonely without you here. The only thing that's made me feel better are your letters...and eating. At least I'm not starving to death, I guess._

_I'm so jealous that you got up close to a dolphin. And don't worry about the plants. Many of them, from what I read are harmless. You just need to be careful of venomous snakes that could be hiding nearby._

_Do you know how much longer your job will be? I'm just curious. Please don't think I'm rushing you back. It would just give me some peace to know a timeline._

_I love you very much._

_Hange_

Levi could sense a change in Hange...more pain compared to the cheerfulness of her last letter. The separation was starting to get to her and to him.

The next day, Levi went out to the nearest nature spot and collected as many different wildflowers as he could. 

When he got back to the ship, he was surprised to learn that they had to leave the Mid-East for a new destination…

A janitor on a ship like himself was not made aware of the details...only that it involved dropping Pieck off at a top-secret destination.

He had been avoiding her all he could since the incident. And while he had been a bit jumpy, no one had yet to confront him or arrest him.

Nearly a week had passed, Levi could see everyone on the ship going out to the main deck and looking towards an island in the distance that seemed partially walled off. He listened to his fellow shipmates, murmuring to each other with morbid curiosity.

“That's the place?”

“Yeah, that's the Island of the Devils.”

“Do you see any titans?”

“I hear the Warrior Chief's already there.”

“Guess he does need her help to take them out.”

Levi could see in the water a smaller boat heading to the island with a small band of armed Marleyan soldiers and Pieck. 

The excitement died down and the ship pulled away from the island. It was back to business as usual. It pained Levi knowing they were so close to Liberio from where they were and not be docking near there.

Levi pulled out another paper and pen that evening to write a new letter. In this one, he knew not to mention the island or what Pieck knew. He didn't want to worry Hange.

_Hange,_

_There was a slight unexpected change in our travels. It shouldn't affect our letters. I'll enclose the address of the next port we should be arriving at in the next month._

_I was thinking about how our lives would have been different if we had been born in a different place under different circumstances. The one thing that comforts me is the idea that would you be free, that you wouldn't have to live in fear of a hopeless future and that you would be able to do and explore all the things that have enticed your curiosity._

_I mustered the courage to get you those flowers I spoke of (no snakes around, thank god). On my way back to the ship, there was a man taking tourists photographs for money. Thought I'd try it out. It's not a flattering photo of me. I just hope these will tide you over._

_If I have to, I'm willing to come home. I've had more than my fill of sailing by this point and more than enough pay to sustain us for a long time. Just say the word and I'll return to you in a heartbeat._

_~Levi_

In truth, Levi hoped the photo would be enough to get Hange to tell him to come back. 

The freighter finally arrived at its new port on an island in the east, weeks later. Levi went to pick up the mail like normal. When he was sorting it out, he did not expect to get a letter addressed to him in Hange's handwriting.

Never had Hange wrote back so quickly. It was a miracle Levi had been as patient as he had been with her responses throughout this whole experience.

He wondered if maybe…

But when he finally opened the letter and read it, he was taken by how short it was.

_Levi,_

_This will be my last letter to you._

_I've arranged with Peter to end our correspondence._

_We can't do this anymore. We can't be together anymore._

_I'm sorry._

His hands were shaking.

This had to be a joke, right? Or a sabotage?

But this was Hange's handwriting, without question. In just two letters, Levi had learned to memorize every curve...every scribble that came from her hand.

She was serious.

But why?

Something had to be wrong. The letter gave so little explanation.

He suspected Zeke even though he was supposed to be on that island. But what if he came back early?

Levi quickly packed his things and ran to his supervisor to tell him he was done...that he was leaving. 

He ran out without his pay…

...all the way off the ship and to the port terminal on the island.

He practically threw all the money he had on the ticket counter.

“Get me on the next boat to Liberio!!!”

…

Six hellish anxious days it took for the boat Levi was on to finally get there. All the while, he was cursing himself for agreeing to take the stupid job. It took him away from Hange and now...

He was pushing and shoving people away to get off the damn thing as soon as the boat finally docked.

Levi was not going home first.

He went straight to the internment zone and straight to Hange's house.

He banged on the door with a desperation he never had before.

“Hange?”

He banged again.

“Hange, are you there?”

The door opened.

He had never felt so relieved to see her beautiful eyes peering through the crack. But instead of seeing joy in them, there was fear in the midst of extreme exhaustion.

“Levi? Why are you back?”

“Did you really think you could write what you did and I'd do nothing?”

Hange looked out. “You're not in your Eldian clothes!” She could see people walking by and began to panic. “Get in here, quick!”

She opened the door wider and Levi rushed in. 

Hange closed the door soon after and would not move.

“So?” Levi turned to her asking.

She clutched the oversized coat she wore ever tighter. “I...I meant what I said, Levi. We have to end this...this thing between us...”

Levi was stunned. “So that's it? You wish to break my heart with no explanation as to why?” He was determined to figure this out. “Something's happened. I know it. It's Zeke, isn't it?”

“No!” she said quickly. “I haven't seen or heard from him since before you left.”

“Then tell me, Hange! What is going on?!”

She couldn't look at Levi, all she could do was cry. “I'm so sorry, Levi. I should have realized sooner. I thought...”

Levi could sense something was off about Hange's appearance and not just in the eyes. “Why are you holding your coat like that?”

Hange finally surrendered, pulling off the coat she wore.

“Is it showing yet?” she nervously asked him.

His brief confusion was replaced by the realization that Hange's clothes weren't as baggy-looking as he was accustomed to with her. They seemed a lot more snug.

And it finally hit him, his eyes widening.

His mind instantly flashed back to the night before he left for the job.

The timing…

The signs had been in her letters too…

“Shit, Hange...”


	8. Misery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was the best name I could come up with for this chapter, because there's going to be a lot of it. :O

Pregnant. Hange's…

Levi couldn't breathe, which was strange because the room could not have been more empty and silent than it already was. 

Hange couldn't look at him. She only looked down at the floor. 

They both felt foolish for not realizing the signs sooner, for not realizing how Hange was getting sick and eating more.

Levi should be happy. In any other time or place, he should be relieved that he was the father of this baby. But in this one reality, the fact that he was the father made their current situation all the more worse. And they both knew it.

To his surprise, it was Hange who broke the silence, managing a meek sad laughter that truly disturbed him.

“What? What are you laughing at?” Levi asked sternly.

“Just something that's really ironic,” she told him. “Did you know that there's a clinic not too far away from here? I could go there right now and get rid of this...and they'll even do it for free.”

Levi wondered if she was trying to hint him at something.

But then she said, “yet if I did, it wouldn't feel like a choice, would it? They wouldn't provide a service like that to Eldians without purpose.”

And Levi knew what that was. The world wanted Eldians gone...to encourage them to no longer breed. Some Eldians themselves felt like they were doing a service to the world to bring about their own extinction, even portraying it as a positive thing. 

But neither he or Hange could see anything positive about any of this. 

“What do you want to do?” he asked her. He was ready to support any choice she made no matter how difficult it would be.

“What does it matter? I know I could have gone sooner, but if I did, it would be giving Marley exactly what they want. But I can't...oh god, Levi. The Warrior Program, I can't let anyone go through that again!”

That was the moment Hange broke down. No matter what she did with this baby, it would still be in Marley's favor, not hers.

Worse still, Marley law required that she was to have reported the pregnancy months ago. Her failure to do so would now likely lead to criminal charges.

Levi hurried over to her. But there was very little he could do to comfort her. “The baby...doesn't have to become a warrior.”

“What other future is there?!” Hange asked him. “I have nothing to support a baby with here, and you can't keep coming here forever.”

“If I have to, I will,” Levi said with determination. He would bring money...diapers...anything that was needed.

“Levi, do you know what the penalty will be for you...for us...if they find out we had a baby together? We'll never be able to see each other again. It's not like you can live here with me.”

He doesn't know if it's a spark of hope or just an epiphany that struck him. “Actually...there might be something...I know this is going to sound a bit crazy but, I learned not too long ago that I might be Eldian too.”

Hange managed to control her sobbing for a moment to digest what she just heard. “What? What are you talking about?”

“It's complicated,” said Levi. He was now taking Kiyomi's story seriously for the first time. He needed to. “But I think it's true. If I admit to it...”

“Levi, no! They'll think you lied about your bloodline. That'll be a worse sentence than me having this baby!”

Levi was getting frustrated. “Well, what else do you expect me to do?! Let you go through this alone?!”

“Yes!” she told him. “There's no other way, Levi. You can't keep coming here anymore.” She looked down at her baby bump. “I won't be able to hide this for much longer. “

“Like hell, I'm leaving...” he said angrily.

Hange slammed her fist on the table. “Then we're through. I don't want to be with you anymore! Leave now! I hate you and don't want to see you around here ever again!!!”

Levi was taken aback by her outburst, but he knew exactly what she was trying to do. She was now becoming desperate enough to push him out, just to protect him.

“You don't have to do this, Hange. I l--”

“ **I SAID GO!!! GET OUT OF MY LIFE!!!** ”

Knowing that she was on the verge of throwing something at him, Levi finally conceded. If he let this go on for much longer, they would surely get the attention of someone outside.

He felt devastated as he walked out of her house.

Once the door was slammed on him, he could hear her sobbing on the other side.

Every part of him wanted to go back in. But he was exposed out here. He needed to leave and get back to his side quickly. Abandoning Hange in her time of need just so he could survive was the most horrible thing he was forced into doing.

But she had been right about everything. There was nothing that could be done anymore.

...

It took days before Hange would stop crying. The last thing she ever wanted to do was to kick Levi out. But at least this way, he would be safe.

The baby would be her burden to bear and hers alone.

With each day that passed, her options were getting fewer. She was already in trouble for not reporting the pregnancy. A termination would soon be too dangerous this far along. 

But the knowledge that she would never see Levi again was far worse than any of those things.

The baby would be all she would have to remember him by, that and the picture he had sent her through one of his letters.

Levi had been right about one thing: the Warrior Program was optional, at least for now it still was.

Would it be silly of her to want to raise a child within this house, perhaps hiding them from the PSA until they could easily blend in with the people outside?

She took the last of Levi's money and stocked up on basic essentials, something she had not taken seriously until now. Once she started to show, she would have to hunker down in the house until she gave birth. She made sure to get some books to help her through this and scavenge for anything that the baby could use.

This wasn't how it was supposed to be, but the world would never allow the three of them to be a family.

…

Levi had gone back to his usual window cleaning job. But he was foolish to think that anything could be the same again.

He no longer had the drive, the concentration to keep pretending that he could put all that he had experienced these past months behind him.

Time was moving too slow for him even though it had already been weeks since he last saw Hange.

He looked down from his platform watching the Marleyans go about their lives, being with their families and not having a care in the world.

It was all an empty shallow lie to him now.

He angrily tossed his mop to the floor and walked off from the job.

He was not going to let the world tell him what to do or who he could be with.

No matter how hard or impossible it seemed, Levi would find a way to help Hange.

It led him to the last resort of trying to contact Kiyomi. Unfortunately, the embassy informed him that she had been out of the country for some time but was due to return very soon.

Levi didn't have that time to waste.

He decided to head to the gate. It didn't matter that he did not have an Eldian disguise with him.

He needed to see Hange again...to tell her he was not giving up on her or the baby, even if it meant risking his own life.

...

The baby bump could no longer be hidden. Hange attempted to maintain her sanity learning how to knit a onesie, but she had been struggling. She was following all the steps in the knitting book only to feel like she was taking a step back.

Just as she thought she was getting somewhere, Hange lifted the cloth up for a better look. One sleeve was clearly smaller than the other.

“DAMMIT!”

She threw her work away in frustration, realizing that she was going to be completely useless to this baby.

knock*knock*knock

Hange froze. The slightest gleam of hope she had that it could be Levi was instantly crushed. That was not his knock, which she had familiarized herself with.

The knock repeated itself.

The terror got to her even more.

What if it was the PSA? What if somehow, they knew?

Her whole body was shaking as she walked to the door. She quickly grabbed her coat and wrapped it around her as best as she could. The bump was more noticeable if one looked long enough.

She opened the door making sure to show only her face.

It wasn't the PSA, but someone else she didn't expect to see.

“Zeke?” Hange grasped the doorknob in an attempt to control her shaking. “Y-you...you never come here.”

“We need to talk,” he said to her.

Hange tried to calm herself, make it clear to him her intentions. “I-I have nothing to say to you.”

Zeke put his hand on the door to stop her from closing it on him. “Oh, but I think you do. You see, I was tipped off by one of my fellow warriors that there was a secret mail service going on around here. I helped the PSA find the place where all this was going down. And I found something else interesting, a notebook with all the names and addresses of the people receiving letters. Your name was on it.”

' _Oh god_ ', Hange thought, remembering all the letters she had exchanged with Levi.

“I'm going to have to turn that notebook in, but I can make your name disappear from it. Just tell me who were writing to, Zoe.”

But Hange could see in Zeke's eyes that he already had a suspect in mind.

“No,” she told him flat out.

“I don't think you realize how serious this is. Do you want to get arrested? To get taken to the island? I'm trying to help you.”

“Well I don't want your help anymore!” Hange was defiant. “You hear me? I'm done with you! I've been done with you for a very long time.”

This time she really this try to close the door, but Zeke was far too strong. His face poked further into her home, and he started sniffing the air.

“Something...” He inhaled some more. “...something's different about you.”

Hange tried to suck in her stomach, but the baby made it impossible.

“What are you hiding from me, Zoe?”

For the first time ever, Hange was terrified of Zeke and she was horrible at hiding it. “N-nothing.”

It was then that Zeke forced himself inside causing Hange to fall backwards on the floor. 

Her coat opened to reveal the baby bump and Zeke paled at the sight.

“No...”

This was impossible. It had been months since they last were together.

And he ALWAYS made sure she took the contraceptive, timing their nights together to prevent such an outcome. He would not be responsible for any more Eldians coming into this world.

Zeke looked at Hange furiously. He had become a weak man taking these risks with her, and now he saw her for the vile temptress that she was.

In his mind, she had seduced him, like the devil of earth had done with Ymir.

He then realized that there was only one other person who could have possibly been the father.

“THE MARLEYAN! HE'S CORRUPTED YOU!”

Hange quickly scrambled away from him, fearing what he would do to her physically. She then stood up, in spite of the weight she carried to face him. “No! I love him and he loves me!”

Zeke was disgusted. “You whore,” he growled. “How could you be so selfish? How could do this to the world?” It seemed like he was on the verge of breaking down but then he looked away from her. “If that's how it is, then I have no choice. I'm going to find him.”

Watching him turn away, Hange quickly ran to grab Zeke by the arm. “NO! I won't let you hurt him!!!”

She knew she was no match for him but it still shocked her when he turned around and grasped Hange by the shoulders, nails digging into her. Her entire body was being lifted from the floor.

She was truly feeling the strength of the Beast Titan.

In a split second Hange, was flying across the room, her back crashing against a bookshelf. She was now on the floor again, with books and broken wood falling on top of her. Her head was now badly bruised, and the pain was slowly causing her to lose consciousness. 

Her vision was blurry, but she could still see Zeke looking down on her.

“So this is the path you've chosen,” he said to her with no emotion. “I thought I could get you to see the light. But I'm afraid there's nothing I can do for you anymore. You must now accept your fate.”

The last thing Hange saw before everything went dark was the back of Zeke moving further and further away from her.

...

“Hange...”

There was only darkness and silence.

“Hange, wake up! Please...”

She wanted to. But she was in so much pain.

Her eyes were suddenly invaded by a blurry light and a face that was coming into view. There was a cold wet feeling over her head.

Then she inhaled a familiar scent.

' _If only_ ,' Hange thought. But then her mind was finally awake and she realized the face looking down on her was real.

“Levi...”

He came back to her.

There were tears in his eyes as he sat there, surrounded by a mess of books and broken wood cradling Hange. He was using a wet cloth to clean the bleeding from her forehead. 

“Wha? What happened?” she asked him.

“I don't know. I just got here and saw you on the floor like this.”

Hange was starting to remember now. “Zeke...”

Levi got angry. “He did this?! I'll kill him...”

“Levi...”

“He could have hurt the baby!”

The baby. Was it okay? Hange had no way of knowing. It brought her no comfort that her whole body was still in pain from the impact with the shelf. Still, they now had a bigger problem on their hands than the child's condition.

“He knows now. He knows you're the father.”

Levi looked to the door. Zeke wasn't here anymore. They both knew what that meant. He was likely now on his way to report everything to the authorities. “We have to get out of here.”

“No,” said Hange, placing a hand to Levi's cheek. “ **You** have to get out of here. It's not too late. If you hurry back to your side...”

There was a sad smile on her face, knowing that this really was the end of everything they had together. It was nice while it had lasted.

But Levi shook his head. “Damn, Four-Eyes. After everything we've done just to be together...”

**BANG! BANG! BANG!**

Their hearts stopped beating.

“ **PSA! OPEN UP!** ”

Neither of them had a chance to think.

The door was broken and armed men in uniforms came rushing inside. A couple of leashed dogs were barking loudly at the couple.

Two guards pried Levi from Hange, then forced him to lie face down on the floor. Hange was pulled up and handcuffed from behind by two other guards.

“Levi!!!”

Levi moved his body wildly attempting to fight off the guards. He nearly punched one in the cheek but the guard managed to grab his arms and cuff him.

A gun was now placed to the back of his head.

“Are you Marleyan?” the guard asked him.

Levi pondered for a moment, whether or not to confess the truth. Would it make his or Hange's situation any better?

He could hear the gun click and pressed even harder against his skull. “I said are you Marleyan?!!!”

“YES!” cried Hange. “Yes! He's a Marleyan!”

The gun was suddenly removed from Levi's head. 

' _Damn it, Hange,'_ Levi thought, knowing that she was still trying to protect him. He knew his sentence would now be nowhere near as severe as Hange's was going to be.

The guard seemed to be disgusted. “Let's go.”

Levi and Hange were forced up by the guards and escorted out of the house. Each of them had guards behind them and they were not allowed to walk side-by-side. 

Eldians who were out in the street, watched in horror, at the man and woman being paraded down the street in a walk of shame. 

Seeing the baby bump from Hange, and that Levi was in Marleyan clothing, some of the Eldians began jeering at them. 

“Traitors! Devils!”

The same jeers were coming from Marleyans once they reached the gate of the internment zone. Some even started throwing objects at them.

A beer bottle had missed Hange's head by mere inches and this sent Levi into a rage. It took four officers to barely control him. But Levi was still putting up a fight as he was being dragged into one of the parked security vans at the gate.

Amidst the chaos of officers and people, he could barely see Hange being pushed into a separate van.

“HANGE!!!”

“Levi!”

The van that Hange was in closed its doors and was starting its engine. Levi was fighting against all his restraints to try and get to her, but it was a fight he was badly losing.

“No!”

The officers eventually resorted to kicking Levi into the van and the door closed on him.

…

It was all over. His entire world, was over.

Levi sat there in a dark jail cell, not caring what would become of him.

Hange was gone, likely executed or taken to that 'Island of Devils' never to be seen again...to become a mindless titan.

He wished that they would send him to that island too. At least he could be with her in some way.

The guards were disgusted with him as they read off his charges and told him that his trial would be set soon.

Levi scoffed. As if Marleyans had any understanding of true justice.

When the door to his jail cell opened, he didn't bother to look up.

“Ackerman,” the guard announced. “Your bail has been paid for. You'll remain under house arrest until your court date.”

Bail? Considering the crime, Levi imagined his bail would be ridiculously expensive. And who would be willing to pay such a thing?

He got his answer when he looked up for the first time.

Kiyomi Azumabito was standing there, on the opposite side of the open cell with a scorned look on her face.

After Levi was escorted out of the cell, Kiyomi walked alongside him.

She kept her voice low but her disappointment was obvious. “So...you aren't as smart as I thought you were. I get back only a few hours ago to hear you've been arrested for impregnating an Eldian...”

“Hange...”

“Don't speak her name!” Kiyomi hissed. “Not here...” The woman put on her charismatic face as she signed Levi out and led him to her car.

They both got into the back seat. Kiyomi then tapped on the back of the chauffeur’s seat and a wall appeared. They were now enclosed in an isolated space as the car began to move.

“Perhaps I should not be surprised that this happened to you.”

Levi was getting agitated with her. “I don't give a shit what you think! Just drop me off at home.”

“So you're giving up, are you?” she asked him. “What a disgrace.”

“Hange is gone. What does it matter?”

Kiyomi sighed. “I suppose there is only one thing that comes from her pregnancy. It will have bought her time.”

Levi was curious. “What are you talking about?”

“Do you think they would just dump anyone on that island? Not when they can use them an additional day or two for experimentation? The infants and mothers are especially useful to them at the Titan Research Society.”

So Hange was still in Marley. She was still alive. But to live to be lab rat, that was likely a fate far worse than death or Paradis.

“It shouldn't be that hard for you to find the research labs, would it? Given your connections,” said Kiyomi.

“What do you expect me to do?” Levi asked her.

“Why, Levi. Are you or are you not an Ackerman? Your ancestors were able to escape an island full of titans. I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility for you to commit a simple breakout.”

The car stopped. They were infront of Levi's apartment.

“The labs will be heavily guarded,” she flat out told him. “The dogs are specifically bred to sniff out Eldian blood.”

Levi couldn't believe what she was suggesting. “Why? Why even tell me this?”

“You're a miserable man, Levi. Going back to your old life would not be fulfilling nor interesting for you. I see the hold this woman has had on you. So why not put your bloodline to use? And if you're mad enough to succeed, let alone survive, then I suggest you get to Helos' Point. Something else might be waiting for you there.”

The back door opened and as soon as Levi stepped out, the car was already speeding down the road.

He stood there for a long time, taking in everything Kiyomi just told him. 

Hange was all that still mattered to him in this world. 

And he had nothing more to lose. If there was even a slightest chance…

...only a day or two…

Then tonight was the night...the night that he would experience for himself what an Ackerman was truly capable of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Go save your woman, Levi!


	9. Breakout

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the penultimate chapter of the story. The next one will be the epilogue (and I promise I won't take another month to write it). But I can assure you that I load ALOT into this chapter. So enjoy the ride. ;)

Levi had been banging on the metal door for far too long. His fist was getting sore.

“Peter! Open up, dammit!”

The slot in the metal door opened instead and a pair of unfamiliar eyes was staring back at him.

“Keep it down!” A deep burly voice ordered Levi. “What do ya want?”

“I need to see Peter,” Levi demanded. “Is he back from his job, yet?”

“No one came back. There was a raid on the postal ring. That damn monkey showed up with a bunch of PSA and everyone had to split.”

A raid? Levi thought. Then that meant Zeke must have also found out about the letters he and Hange had been sending each other.

Pieck had to have told him. There was no other explanation.

He cursed himself for believing he no longer had to worry about that, and for putting Hange's life in dangers all those weeks they did not speak to each other.

“Get lost if you don't got business with us,” the man said.

But Levi waved a large bundle of bills in his hand. The whole door finally opened, just enough for Levi to quickly slip inside.

…

Hange's head had been buzzing in and out of consciousness. The only thing she remembered since being forced into the van was being pulled out and feeling a stinging pain in her shoulder.

She had to have been sedated.

She was lying on her back feeling stiff and unable to move. The blurry ceiling was moving above her. To her sides, Hange could barely see the personnel escorting and pushing the gurney she was moving in along. She realized that her arms and legs were heavily strapped to the gurney, making shifting and fighting her current predicament impossible.

The lights in the room she was wheeled into began to blind her. Hange could not open her eyes again until she felt a strange cold metal against her body. Her eyes began to adjust, and only then did Hange realized that she no longer had her glasses and was dressed in only a medical gown. 

The metal wand was waved over her belly and a rapid clicking noise could be heard. Two doctors, dressed in surgical gear were looking over a strange meter where a needle was moving rapidly side to side until it started slowing down in the middle.

“Vital signs normal.”

Hange wanted to speak, to cry, to say something, but she could not find any words. Instead she only tried to move her head a bit to get some glimpse of her surroundings. Something about this place did seem familiar…

Then it was all flooding back to her…

The Warrior Program. She had been given a tour of the Titan research facilities when she was younger and that only fueled her desire to be a part of that institution.

How ironic that instead of doing the experimenting, Hange herself, was now the experiment.

Her thoughts were distracted by movement within.

She looked over at her protruding belly, remembering what Zeke had done. The movement commenced.

She sighed in relief. Her baby...Levi's baby, was still alive. That's what these doctors were looking for, with that metal wand.

“We'll be able to start the excision in two hours. 'Should survive long enough for the additional tests.”

Her mind was trying to figure out what the doctors meant by 'excision'. By the time, they stepped back, Hange was able to move herself a little more. She was still strapped in, but she managed to lean up. She had a better view of her stomach, which was now exposed.

Her blurry vision took note of the black dotted lines going across her abdomen…

...surgical lines.

Her voice was slowly coming back.

“No!” she tried to scream. It came out as weak, almost whisper-like.

The doctors ignored her and were making their exit out of the room.

“NO! PLEASE! IT'S TOO SOON!” Hange finally cried out, wriggling harder against her restraints.

The lights were shut off and the door closed sealing Hange in the room with only her echoed cries keeping her company.

…

Levi had been lying low, watching all the action since sunset. He was flat on a hill looking out over the metal-fenced compound through binoculars. The place was laid out just as the maps he was given indicated. Now it was a matter of studying the blueprints to try and pinpoint where Hange was likely being held, and observing the movements of the guards outside to figure out his next move.

The south side of the compound had a decent number of guards on the rooftops and on the ground. Darkness finally came and Levi crawled closer to the metal fence. The grass was tall enough to hide his form from the searchlights that would occasionally float by above him.

For the first time in Levi's life, being short was proving to be quite the advantage.

When he was sure the searchlights would be gone again, Levi went to work on the metal fence, cutting a part of the bottom portion with wire cutters. He squeezed his way under, belly-crawling through and bringing with him a bag of his tools. 

Once he was fully on the other side, Levi opened his bag and pulled out a nervous and stiff-looking rabbit.

He was not proud of what he had to do next. But he had no other choice in the matter and was told this was his best bet to get past the guards.

Levi pulled out a vial of pure Eldian blood, opened it and poured the blood all over the rabbit.

The animal was released deeper into the compound causing sudden rapid movement in the grass.

Dogs could be heard barking wildly and pulling the guards holding them in the direction of movement to the east, where the bloody rabbit was speeding away

The searchlights followed the commotion, accompanied by the rest of the guards.

This now gave Levi the freedom to rush to the edge of the building unseen.

He left the bag behind, taking with him only a few other tools and a gun. He hoped it would be enough as he wasn't able to afford more weapons.

He went around the building where things were much quieter and stepped into one of the doors, which led him inside an empty low-lit hallway. It was after-hours so there was no sign of anyone about. Hopefully, wearing his street cleaner clothes would make him come off as less suspicious should anyone spot him.

Turning a corner, Levi waited in the shadows until he heard a pair of solitary footsteps approaching.

A scientist, an elderly woman, walked past Levi unknowingly, then bent down to pick up a pen she had clumsily dropped.

Everything stopped for her when she felt cold metal against the back of her head.

“Don't make a sound,” said Levi in a calm but commanding matter, pressing the gun harder.

The woman was shaking, knowing that she would not be strong enough to fight back against this stranger.

“A pregnant woman was brought in recently. Tell me...is she still alive?”

“I...” the woman scientist stuttered. “I...think so?”

“Then prove it to me.” Levi forced the woman up. “And don't try anything funny along the way. I'll know.”

“Are you...Eldian?” she asked him. 

“Actually, you might say I'm an Ackerman.”

That was enough for the woman to comply. Together they went up the stairs to the second floor. 

“If anyone is up there, you better tell them to get lost,” Levi warned her.

Sure enough they could hear someone. The woman was quick to act and directed the person away before they could see Levi holding the gun to her head.

When they were alone again, the woman led Levi to a door.

“Open it,” Levi ordered.

She nervously fumbled with the keys she carried to unlock the door. The two of them were now in a laboratory of sorts. Levi was disturbed by the jars and tanks that filled the room. Many of them filled with human brains and nervous systems.

He knew they all had to have come from Eldians.

Still, there was no sign of Hange.

Levi got angry and cocked the gun.

“That door!” The woman cried out pointing over to another metal door in the corner, the one that looked like a safe. “They're keeping her in there!”

“Quiet,” Levi growled. “We'll see if you're right, but first, I need to tie you up.”

Levi grabbed the rope he carried and tied to the woman to a column. Her shaking made the whole situation more difficult than it already was for both of them. “I'm not here to hurt anyone,” Levi told her. “I just came to get what I want and leave.” 

He doubt all of this was convincing her. In any case, he pulled out the cloth tape. “Gimme the code.”

She nervously stated the code to Levi, and then Levi placed the cloth tape over her mouth. 

He went over to the dial on the metal door and turned it back and forth using the code he was given. He heard a click and the latch on the door shifted.

He quickly grabbed a metal pipe to keep the door slightly open, then stepped into a small windowless room and turned on the nearby light switch.

His eyes adjusted to the sudden appearance of lights.

“No...please,” came a moan.

Hange was lying strapped down in the middle of a bed in the center of the room, which seemed to resemble an operating room.

“Hange!”

Levi rushed over and seeing the straps on her, quickly pulled out his blade. The straps were thick, but Levi was determined.

When the ones on her arms were freed, Levi pulled Hange up. She was on the verge of thrashing at the man holding her but she seemed to recognize this touch, this scent.

“Levi?”

Seeing that it really was him, she threw her arms around him, shaking with new sobs. “H-how are you here?”

“Never mind that,” said Levi. “We need to get outta here, now.”

As much as he wanted to hold Hange longer, time was of the essence. 

“I'm happy to see you again,” Hange told him sadly, while watching him free the straps from her legs. “But there's no escape for me. I can't run like this...”

Levi pulled out something from his back pocket. “You see these?” he asked her. “These are the last two bullets I'll have once I use up this gun...one for each of us. I don't want it to end that way. But it's our choice to make. We die here or we die trying for freedom. Either way, I'm not leaving you...either of you...ever again.”

His hand reached out to Hange, giving her the final say as to what to do.

She looked down at her belly. She had little faith they would make it out of this.

But she would not die being separated from her baby.

Thus, she took Levi's hand.

Hange was right of not being in a condition to run with no glasses and no shoes. But Levi took note of the woman scientist tied up who was only slightly smaller than Hange and was also wearing glasses.

“Switch clothes with her.”

The lab clothes and shoes were tight, giving Hange a bloated-looking midriff. But the glasses were close enough in prescription. Levi then led Hange into the dark hallway, motioning her to follow his lead. They made a good way down the hall, needing to find a stairway which would not have much activity going on.

“HEY!”

They turned and saw a soldier coming from the opposite end.

Even in the darkness, Levi could see that he was holding a whistle in his hand...one that he intended to use to call for backup.

So he aimed his gun at the soldier's leg and fired.

Perhaps it wasn't the best decision. The gunshot immediately alerted people downstairs.

Levi quickly pulled Hange towards the closest stairwell but quickly stopped when they saw at the bottom of the stairs the dogs and officers approaching.

“Levi!”

Hange had stepped into a nearby room and pulled out a cart on wheels filled with lots of glass jars and tubes. Together they pushed the cart down the stairs and watched it collide with the dogs and men below. 

The time that would buy them was minimal. 

They hurried down the hall turning a corner. Levi pulled opened a heavy door that said 'Authorized Personnel Only'.

“Get in!”

As soon as they were both through the door, Levi closed it and locked it.

They could hear people on the other side running past.

Levi and Hange were now standing on a metal balcony. Looking over the railing, they realized they were on the upper floor of a massive warehouse. The lighting was minimal but enough that they were able to proceed to a metal walkway. It was making them both feel uneasy. Hange winced at the sound of metal squeaking from her added weight as they went across.

“You can do it, Hange. Come on,” Levi encouraged her.

Thankfully, a spiral staircase was there to meet them on the other end.

Levi could not a take moment to relax until his feet and Hange's feet both touched the ground floor, and he was certain there was no one around. 

But a strange moaning sound caused them both to be on alert again. Levi readied his gun.

“Levi?” Hange was shaking and pointing at something behind him. “Is that...what I think it is?”

He turned around.

Standing inside a massive holding cell was something Levi never thought he would see in person in his lifetime.

It was a titan...a real six meter titan. It's grotesque face looked rather happy to see the humans and stretched its arms through the steel bars in an attempt to grab them. But they were too far from reach. 

Levi and Hange were broken from their awe of the titan when they heard a loud door open and a light appearing to their side.

“Shit.”

Levi quickly pulled Hange into hiding behind one of many large shelves lining the warehouse.

They could hear footsteps approaching.

“They're here,” came the familiar voice of Zeke. “I can smell them.”

This gave Hange an idea. Now she was the one pulling Levi as they went further down the aisles and started circling one after another, careful not to be seen and to have their footsteps in sync with Zeke and the men trying to find them. They even did a figure-eight around two rows of shelves.

Zeke eventually figured out what they were trying to do after circling the same shelf twice.

“Sending my scent in circles?” He called out. “How clever of you, Zoe. You always had a good wit. It's too bad you decided to throw it all away for that Marleyan.”

Levi and Hange continued to hide themselves but they knew there would be a dead end for them soon.

Zeke then continued. “I might not be able to help you anymore. But you can still do something for him. Surrender yourself, Zoe...and I'll give you my word that Lee, or whatever he's called, goes free and unharmed. You know I can make it happen.”

For a brief moment, it seemed like Hange was considering his offer. They were nearing back to the titan's cage and there was no exit to be found. The options before them were running out.

But all that changed the moment Levi spotted a large lever and went straight over to pull it, not sure of what it would do.

A bell started ringing throughout the warehouse.

Behind them, Levi and Hange could hear the noise of something opening.

When they realized what it was, they hurried away.

Levi fired his gun at the first officers' that spotted them. Then pulled himself and Hange back to take cover.

“THE TITAN'S LOOSE!!!” someone screamed.

Everyone else began screaming and running for their lives as the titan, now free from its holding cell, was stumbling around the warehouse.

Levi and Hange used the distraction to find a new exit.

They got outside where the alarm bells still rang and a siren was wailing. People were running about at the cries of the loose titan and the sound of booms coming from inside the warehouse. The panic allowed Levi and Hange to be overlooked amongst the chaos.

But their luck wouldn't last long. Their strength was slowly waning. Levi pulled Hange, who was struggling to keep up, to a building up ahead...one that looked like a large airplane hangar.

Inside it seemed like another empty warehouse, more spacious than the last but filled with gas tanks and a small amount of weapons, big machine guns and the like. 

Even if they could use all that artillery, Levi and Hange would still be outnumbered against the masses outside that would eventually find them.

They instead, took a breather while trying to decide the next course of action.

Levi's eyes turned to a corner of the room, where lying on a table was a pair of long blades with handles. A sign on the table read _'Do not disturb until observation completed'_. He had never seen such weapons made. In fact, they seemed more fantasy-like in nature as if they came from another world.

His curiosity peaked as he decided to pick up one.

A huge boom, followed by an explosion disrupted everything.

Half of the building was turned into a giant hole, and a giant ape-like creature roared its way in.

Levi and Hange both knew…

...the ape was Zeke, having taken on his titan form.

And behind him was the titan that Levi had freed from its cage.

Neither of them had time to react. It only took a split second for the giant hairy arm to grab Hange.

“Kill him.” The Beast Titan commanded.

The titan behind Zeke began approaching Levi in an attempt to grab him. It was actually doing his bidding. How was that even possible?

Hange was terrified that she would be squeezed to death in Zeke's grip. All she could do was make a soft plea for Levi to run.

Levi managed to dodge the titan. It was now becoming a game of 'cat and mouse' where Levi was going to be on the loosing end.

If he could get his hands on one of those big guns in the building, then maybe he stood a chance.

But as if sensing what Levi was about to do, the titan stomped its foot on the nearest storage of large machine guns destroying them.

“Fool,” Zeke said. He was going to wait there holding Hange until he was sure that Levi was dead. “You think those weapons will do anything against us?”

A memory was coming back to Levi in that very moment...back when he was on the freighter in that struggle with Pieck. He remembered what she said about having to go for the back of the neck.

He was eying the two swords on the table again and narrowly missed another grab by the titan just to get them.

The titan managed to trip on something in that attempt and fell forward.

This gave Levi the opportunity to jump on its back. With all the strength he could muster, Levi used the two blades to slice the back of the titan's neck in an attempt to behead it.

When the cut was made, a hot steam was instantly coming off from the damage, forcing Levi to jump off from the pain.

But the titan was no longer moving.

And for the first time, there was a sense of fear and terror in Zeke that he had never felt before.

“Who are you?” he asked Levi. Who was this man that was so capable of using weapons that he had never laid hands on before?

Levi ignored him and charged at the Beast Titan's legs, slicing them both just above the ankle.

This caused Zeke to fall forward himself.

Once he was down, Levi tried to go for the arm that was still holding Hange, but Zeke's other arm was looking to grab him.

“Levi!!! Behind you!!!” Hange cried out.

He jumped back just in time. His swords inadvertently caused a slice in Zeke's face, blinding him.

Levi used the moment to take out the hand that tried to grab him. He then quickly ran up the rest of the arm to get behind Zeke's neck.

“The name is Levi Ackerman,” Levi muttered close to the Beast Titan's ear.

The shift in the titan's body indicated not only did Zeke heard, but was shaking in terror.

So...Levi realized. He knew of the Ackerman legend.

Levi made the slice to the back of the neck hard and deep...enough for the blades to finally break apart in his hands.

This time, he was more prepared for the steam and quickly jump off to get to Hange.

Zeke's grip on her had finally loosened, enough for Hange to slip out. Levi grabbed her and the two of them headed out through the hole that Zeke had made.

The steam from Zeke's body ignited the nearby gas tanks causing the entire building to explode.

Levi and Hange barely made it out of range of the explosion. They never tried to look back. But it became clear how exhausted they were...how weak they were.

They made it to a hill overlooking the inferno that had taken over that section of the compound.

The two of them collapsed on the grass...their strength now finally gone.

Hange was worried that she would go into early labor if they keep running anymore. But they were still too close, too deep within the compound, to be safe. The soldiers would eventually spot them and find them. 

Levi still had his handgun, which was completely out of bullets. There were still the two in his back pocket.

His hand was shaking loading those into the gun.

But Hange took his hand to calm him. There was a sad smile on her face assuring him that it was going to be okay...that she had no regrets about any of it.

They were literally going to die on this hill.

At least they were together again one last time.

Hange pulled Levi in for what they believed would be their very last kiss. The tears they started to shed made it all much harder for both of them. 

With one gun between them, neither were sure as to how they were going to do this. Who would take the other out first before following suit?

There was movement in the tall grass behind them.

“YOU!”

They turned to see a very angry-looking Pieck crawling up the hill on all fours, then weakly trying to stand, only getting into a weak crouching position.

Levi stared her down. “It's over. Just leave us,” he begged of her.

“And why would I do that after everything you just did? Zeke might be an idiot, but he's still my friend. And lucky for you, he's going to live.”

“Lucky? You have us now.”

Pieck was looking rather conflicted. It didn't help matters that the scared woman with Levi, the one Levi went through all this trouble for, was clearly pregnant, adding to her frustration.

“What do I have to do to make you both go away?!” she asked. 

Both Levi and Hange were surprised that they were being given options. They had expected this woman to kill them both on the spot. “You would let us go?” Levi asked her.

“Like you have anywhere to go from here. Where exactly do you hope to end up?”

“Helos' Point,” Levi said instantly.

Meanwhile down the hill, the soldiers had successfully put out all the fires. Zeke had been pulled from the wreckage but it would take him hours to regenerate in the state he was found in.

Another boom and rumbling occurred, albeit a brief one. 

They could see a four meter titan, on its arms and legs, appearing from the hilltop.

“Pieck!”

The Cart Titan turned to face them.

“Can you track where the escapees went?” an officer called out.

Pieck nodded and instantly took off. In her titan form, she traveled deep into the city. There was some initial panic at her appearance but the people of Liberio were familiar with the Titan Warriors, and being the smallest considered the Cart Titan to be the least threatening.

So they moved out of the way to let her past the streets. Some were looking out their windows in marvel of the sight.

Pieck then arrived at the edge of a harbor that was basically empty. She looked around and then leaned down towards the water as if to get a drink like a common animal.

Instead, she opened her mouth and Levi and Hange came tumbling out. They went form being soaked in drool to being soaked in the harbor waters.

They both came to the surface with Hange clinging onto one of the harbor's support beams.

“Oh my god!” she said with excitement. “We were just in a titan's mouth!”

“Keep it down!” Pieck told her. “I'm going back right now to tell them I've tracked you somewhere in the city. I can be back with them in less than ten minutes. So I hope you have a plan beyond this, because you're on your own now.”

Neither Levi or Hange were able to say anything back to Pieck. She had already taken off into the dark before they had a chance.

Levi pulled himself and Hange out of the water and they made their way through the chilly night.

“Helos' Point isn't far from here,” Levi assured her. But they were far from out of the woods yet. Pieck would soon be back with reinforcements.

They soon arrived at a statue of a man stabbing a titan with a long pole.

“This is it,” said Levi. The statue was in close proximity to a much busier harbor with ships going in and out at a frequent pace.

“Mister Ackerman, good to see you made it! I was just about to give up on you.”

Levi and Hange turned around to see a man coming out of an alleyway.

“Peter? I thought you were arrested in the raid.”

“Guess I was a bit quicker on my feet than the others,” he told Levi. “Ah, here we are.” Peter pulled out a large yellow envelope from his jacket and hand it over to Levi. “Courtesy of Miss Azumabito. If you hurry you might be able to catch it.”

“Catch what?” Levi asked.

Peter brushed off his jacket and tipped his hat to the both of them. “A pleasure doing business with you both.” He then turned and headed back towards the alleyway not to be seen anymore.

“What is that?” Hange wondered about the yellow envelope.

Levi opened it to study its contents. The first thing he noticed was the large wads of cash, some Marleyan but also some foreign money. The others were various papers that seemed forged, including two one-way tickets on an ocean liner. 

Levi checked his watch. Then he smiled looking out one last time at the city he had called home for many years.

“Hange, I know this might be a bit rushed,” he said. “But are you ready to go see the world?”


	10. Epilogue (and A/N)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short epilogue. Thank you to everyone who has read this story. I enjoyed writing it. Though I wouldn't do that whole alternating between fics thing again that I did with this and Ploughfields. It was a challenge for me to go back and forth and created writing headaches. But I felt it was the best way to guarantee frequent updates on each fic.
> 
> More details on future projects below.

Hange was giddy leaning over the railing attempting to get a better view of the water.

“Levi! Look! Over there!”

If Levi didn't do something soon, her shrills would give them away. “Oi.” He reached out to pull the back of her shirt. Hange and her bulging stomach were leaning too far out for his comfort. “We're still trying to keep a low profile,” he said softly.

“Oh I'm aware of that,” Hange said. She pointed at something in the water...white, large, and moving close to the ship. “There it is, again! The beluga whale!”

She gasped with excitement when the beluga whale did a leap causing a minor splash. 

Levi was about to stop her. The wind began to pick up and Hange closed her eyes to feel the breeze. It reminded Levi that this was Hange's first time ever out of Liberio, her first time out in the water.

Hange was free for the first time in her life.

Of course, it wouldn't exactly be fully free. They were criminals now living under new identities. They would have to watch their backs, at least until they could find a quiet place to settle down.

They had been lucky enough to find new clothes so they could blend in with the other passengers. At first, Levi was surprised that Kiyomi would splurge on giving them a cabin in first class. Then it occurred to him as he watched the crew move irregularly about the ship, that two Eldians on the run were unlikely to be hiding out in such luxury.

He wouldn't feel at ease until they arrived at their destination.

“We should get back to our cabin,” he told Hange.

They tried to keep to their room as much as possible. But it was hard to keep Hange away from the deck. Seeing her happy like this, it made it hard for Levi to say no. They an effort to visit the deck at least twice a day.

“Levi,” Hange smiled. 

“What is it? Another whale?”

“No, I'm feeling it.” She placed Levi's hand on her belly.

Levi thought it was still early for the baby to be kicking. He couldn't tell at all if what he was feeling was the child's doing or Hange's. But he would humor her all the same, still in disbelief that they had all made it this far.

“I can tell this is going to be one stubborn brat,” he said.

“It most certainly will not,” Hange said to him. 

“At least ease up on the sweets. It's not good for the kid.”

As the sun was setting, everyone on the ship was getting their first sight of land.

“Is that?” Hange asked.

“Yeah,” said Levi. “That's Hizuru.”

The coastline of Hizuru was nothing like Marley. It was filled with tall buildings and vibrant lights of variant colors that were crisp and clear, nothing like the blurry city lights of Liberio.

They weren't kidding when they said that Hizuru was one of the most advanced nations in the world. They could even see the car lights in motion from the ship deck and a train wrapped around the coastline with train cars that were more curvy and less box-like.

Hange held Levi's hand, whispering to him with concern. “Do you think things will really be better there? The world still hates Eldians.”

“This is one of the few places not putting them in camps,” Levi assured her. “And besides, as far as those papers are concerned, we're just a couple of Marleyans looking for a new life elsewhere.” 

Levi could only hope that they could find peace in Hizuru, perhaps in a rural part of the country. Seemed like a nice place to raise a child.

“So...what should we do first when we get there?” Hange asked him.

“Well, it's obvious isn't it?” Levi smiled back at her. “We need to find one of those komputas you've been going on about.”

Hange laughed just like she did the first time Levi began to have feelings for her.

He joined her in looking down at the water, hoping to see more unique sea creatures pop up. It made him feel better knowing that this was not the end of Hange's yearning for knowledge, for exploration, no matter how uncertain the future was for his soon-to-be family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might have an alternate ending line up for this story that I thought of like a month ago, but I decided to go with my original intended ending. I might write that as a one shot for a later date. I do have some more levihan plot bunnies, a couple of which are currently in draft form.
> 
> For now my brain needs a break. Thank you for reading and reviewing.


End file.
